ISLAMABAD, Aug 20 (INP): A special court hearing the high treason case against former president Pervez Musharraf on Monday summoned the interior secretary on August 27.

Presided over by Justice Yawar Ali, the court will also consider whether the trial can continue without recording Musharraf’s statement.

Advocate Akhtar Shah, counsel for the former president, said his client would appear if the defence ministry provided security. The court observed that it is the federal government’s duty to provide security for the accused and adjourned the hearing of the case till August 27.

[timed-content-server show="08/21/2018 01:00 Asia/Karachi"]Earlier, lawyer Akram Sheikh had stepped down as the head of the prosecution team tasked by the previous federal government to prosecute Musharraf under Article 6 of the Constitution. According to sources, the decision to resume the case pertaining to imposition of extra-constitutional emergency in the country in 2007 was decided in a meeting held on August 1 between three members of the bench namely; Lahore High Court Justice Yawar Ali, Balochistan High Court’s Justice Tahira Safdar and Sindh High Court’s Nazar Akbar. Treason case: Court summons FO officials to bring Musharraf back In November of 2007, the PTI chief had pledged to initiate proceedings against Musharraf over his unconstitutional acts, but PTI has since been silent in this regard. Most of Musharraf’s close aides have also joined the PTI. Interestingly, a key member of Musharraf’s party, Dr Amjad withdrew his nomination papers in favour of Imran Khan in NA-53. This case will also serve as a test of the superior judiciary’s resolve in concluding the trial. On April 7 this year, the Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar proposed to form a new special bench, led by Justice Yawar Ali, but the PML-N government did not issue a formal notification during its tenure. Later, the caretaker government issued a notification regarding the composition of the special tribunal, which now comprises Sindh High Court’s Justice Nazar Akbar and Balochistan High Court’s Justice Tahira Safdar. Justice Yawar Ali is set to retire on October 22 this year. It remains to be seen if the trial will conclude before his retirement. Recently, the apex court summoned Musharraf, who has been living in Dubai since 2016, in a matter regarding his disqualification but he did not show up despite various guarantees offered by the apex court. INP/AJ[/timed-content-server]