Pakistan Sentences Former Military Ruler, Pervez Musharraf To Death

Pakistan’s former military ruler, Pervez Musharraf, has been sentenced to death by a special court for high treason and bastardising the constitution.

Musharraf, who is in self-imposed exile in Dubai, has been on trial since 2014 for imposing a state of emergency in Pakistan on November 3, 2007.

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Speaking to Reuters, a government law officer, Salman Nadeem said, "Pervez Musharraf has been found guilty of Article 6 for violation of the constitution of Pakistan."

Musharraf's actions in 2007 serve as the backbone of the treason case against the 76-year-old former ruler. On November 3, the military ruler imposed a "state of emergency," suspended the constitution and detained senior political leaders and judges.

According to political analyst Tariq Pirzada, the ruling "sends a signal that Pakistan is changing and its judicial system has changed."

"No one has immunity," he said. "As for the armed forces of Pakistan, he [Musharraf] is one of the most popular guys within their rank and file. They will be hating this verdict."

Musharraf was born in the old city of New Delhi in 1943, four years before the partition of the Indian subcontinent into India and Pakistan and took power in a military coup in 1999, ruling the South Asian country for nine years before being removed when his political party was defeated in a general election.