Islamabad:
A two-judge bench of the Pakistan Supreme Court today rejected a request to arrest former president General Pervez Musharraf in connection with a treason case against him, a media report has said.
The court had ordered General Musharraf to appear before it today to face treason allegations. But the former President did not appear in court. He was represented by his lawyer Advocate Ahmed Raza Kasuri who sought six weeks' time to submit his response, reports Pakistan's leading news website Dawn.com.
But the court granted him six days. The case will next be heard on April 15.
Yesterday, the court had directed the Interior Ministry to take steps to prevent Musharraf from leaving Pakistan. It also asked the Ministry to put his name on the 'Exit Control List'.
A two-judge bench led by Justice Jawad S Khwaja had issued the directives after hearing preliminary arguments on five petitions seeking Musharraf's trial for treason for subverting the constitution and declaring an emergency in 2007.
The bench said Musharraf or his lawyer should appear in court today to respond to the allegations.
The bench also issued notices to the government, Musharraf and other respondents to respond to the petitions. The petitioners want the court to direct the government to prosecute Musharraf under the High Treason (Punishment) Act of 1973.
But Musharraf's team had announced last night that he would not appear in person in the court. "I have directed my panel of eminent lawyers to forcefully represent me in the Supreme Court of Pakistan tomorrow...These cases do not frighten me and I will fight all the cases in the court of law!" his Facebook account quoted him as saying.
Most of the petitions against Musharraf have been filed by lawyers who want the former military strongman tried for treason for imposing emergency and deposing dozens of judges in 2007.
The former army chief returned to Pakistan last month after nearly four years of self-imposed exile to contest a May 11 general election despite the possibility of arrest on various charges and death threats from the Pakistani Taliban.
The court had ordered General Musharraf to appear before it today to face treason allegations. But the former President did not appear in court. He was represented by his lawyer Advocate Ahmed Raza Kasuri who sought six weeks' time to submit his response, reports Pakistan's leading news website Dawn.com.
But the court granted him six days. The case will next be heard on April 15.
Yesterday, the court had directed the Interior Ministry to take steps to prevent Musharraf from leaving Pakistan. It also asked the Ministry to put his name on the 'Exit Control List'.
A two-judge bench led by Justice Jawad S Khwaja had issued the directives after hearing preliminary arguments on five petitions seeking Musharraf's trial for treason for subverting the constitution and declaring an emergency in 2007.
The bench said Musharraf or his lawyer should appear in court today to respond to the allegations.
The bench also issued notices to the government, Musharraf and other respondents to respond to the petitions. The petitioners want the court to direct the government to prosecute Musharraf under the High Treason (Punishment) Act of 1973.
But Musharraf's team had announced last night that he would not appear in person in the court. "I have directed my panel of eminent lawyers to forcefully represent me in the Supreme Court of Pakistan tomorrow...These cases do not frighten me and I will fight all the cases in the court of law!" his Facebook account quoted him as saying.
Most of the petitions against Musharraf have been filed by lawyers who want the former military strongman tried for treason for imposing emergency and deposing dozens of judges in 2007.
The former army chief returned to Pakistan last month after nearly four years of self-imposed exile to contest a May 11 general election despite the possibility of arrest on various charges and death threats from the Pakistani Taliban.
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