Pak SC asks Musharraf to appear before it on July 29

Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Wednesday asked former President Pervez Musharraf to appear before it and issued notice to him to explain his action of imposing emergency in November 2007 and deposing over 60 members of the country’s superior judiciary.

Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Wednesday asked former President Pervez Musharraf to appear before it and issued notice to him to explain his action of imposing emergency in November 2007 and deposing over 60 members of the country’s superior judiciary.

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A 14-member bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry issued the notice while reviewing a decision made by Musharraf’s hand-picked judges that validated the emergency and the sacking of the judges.

The bench asked Musharraf to appear in person or through counsel on July 29, the date for the next hearing of the matter. Musharraf’s close aide and former Attorney General Malik Qayyum told reporters that if the former President sought his advice, he would tell him to get a lawyer to represent him in the apex court.

Musharraf is currently in Britain. The former army chief left Pakistan over three months ago, saying he intended to travel to several countries to deliver lectures and address leading think tanks.

Over the past few months, he has visited Saudi Arabia, the US and several European countries.

The issue of the emergency and sacking of judges came up while the apex court was hearing a constitutional petition seeking the regularisation of services of two judges of the Sindh High Court. The case was later adjourned by the court till July 29.