Musharraf lawyers urge UN to intervene into ‘show trial’

Islamabad – Lawyers of Pakistan’s ex-President Pervez Musharraf have reportedly urged the United Nations to intervene in the dictator’s treason trial, which they believe is politically motivated.

The lawyers have also called on the US, Britain and Saudi Arabia to denounce Musharraf’s trial to ‘repay their debt’ for his support in the US-led war on terror in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.

According to Dawn, lawyers have claimed that current Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is using the treason case to get revenge on Musharraf, who overthrew Sharif’s government in a bloodless military coup in 1999 and ruled until 2008.

Musharraf’s barrister Steven Kay said that the hearing would be a ‘stage-managed show trial’ with the judges picked by political opponents who are now in power.

Kay further said that the judges selected for the trial would be unable to act impartially, particularly since one of them, Faisal Arab, was sacked by Musharraf’s government.

The report said that Musharraf’s legal team has written to UN human rights chief Navi Pillay and UN special rapporteurs calling for the international body to urgently intervene and ensure that the former president is not subjected to politically motivated charges.