Former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf sentenced to death for high treason

[Eugene]

Source: CNN

(CNN) — Former Pakistan President and military ruler Pervez Musharraf has been sentenced to death in absentia for high treason following a six-year legal case.

A three-member special court in Islamabad on Tuesday convicted Musharraf of violating the constitution by unlawfully declaring emergency rule while he was in power, in a case that had been pending since 2013.

The 76-year-old former leader, who has lived in self-imposed exile in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates for more than three years, has the option to appeal the verdict.

Musharraf seized power in a military coup in 1999 and ruled Pakistan as President until 2008.

-snip-

By Helen Regan and Adeel Raja, CNN
Updated 0946 GMT (1746 HKT) December 17, 2019


Read more: https://edition.cnn.com/2019/12/17/asia/pervez-musharraf-death-sentence-pakistan-intl-hnk/index.html

[marble falls]

1. Has any other country sentenced to death, executed, assassinated more leaders than has Pakistan?

[IronLionZion]

2. America has the best allies

[lagomorph777]

3. Not a fan of Pakistan, but sometimes they get it right.

However, such a precedent would surely spin out of control immediately here.

[IronLionZion]

4. USA has supported coups and assassinations in that country

to get people in power who will buy US weapons and support the wars in Afghanistan. This is no precedent. Things have been out of control for that country's entire existence.

[lagomorph777]

6. Yeah, we broke them - and many other countries.

[EX500rider]

11. Pakistan has fu*ked up their country quite well on their own.

Helping to found and then support the Taliban. Not the US's idea...we are anti Taliban. And no, the earlier Mujahideen that fought the Russians are not the Taliban.
Pakistan was heavily involved, already in October 1994, in the "creating" of the Taliban. Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI), strongly supporting the Taliban in 1994, hoped for a new ruling power in Afghanistan favorable to Pakistan.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taliban#1994

Funding and giving sanctuary to terrorists groups that attack India via Kashmir. No US involvement or support there either.

The increased Afghan Taliban use of violence, especially against civilians, was due to the increased influence of the Haqqani Network. In fact, the Afghan Taliban are now run by the leaders of the Haqqani Network despite a non-Haqqani figurehead leader. Haqqani is another 1990s era Afghan fighting faction that is more gangster than Islamic terrorist and has long been a subsidiary of the Pakistani military and intelligence (the ISI). Haqqani is the main conduit for getting Islamic terrorists and their weapons (including large vehicle bombs) into Afghanistan. Haqqani and the pro-Pakistan Afghan Taliban still have sanctuaries in Pakistan, something that the Pakistani military denies but it is not hidden in Pakistan and is something of an open secret.
Not something the US supports.

Ranks 152nd of 189 in the Human Development Index the UN has compiled.

These rankings put Pakistan’s problems into perspective. Corruption and mismanagement have hurt the economy, the education system and health (life expectancy). Adopting Islamic terrorism as a state policy in the 1980s and trying to keep it secret continues to damage all aspects of Pakistani life. Allowing the military to achieve a dominant position in the country entrenched corruption and hampered reform efforts. India and Pakistan started out on relatively equal footing when they were created in the late 1940s. It was downhill for Pakistan after that.
https://strategypage.com/qnd/india/articles/20191210.aspx

[magicarpet]

5. Remember this....

The assassination of Benazir Bhutto took place on 27 December 2007 in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Benazir Bhutto, twice Prime Minister of Pakistan (1988–1990; 1993–1996) ...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Benazir_Bhutto

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

7. "Unlawfully declaring emergency ..."? Why? Did he want to divert military money ...

... to build a wall?

Hopefully, Dubai won't extradite him to his doom. I hate the death penalty. Even for traitorous, corrupt presidents.

[not_the_one]

8. I could find it in my heart to make one exception...

Although I am not anti-death penalty in general, until we can guarantee that there is no possibility of error in judgment, the substitute should be life, with no parole.

There are some crimes that are so heinous, where the criminals were caught, or confessed, that could warrant the death penalty.

The problem is there have been cases that have seemed that cut and dried, but were found, later, that they actually weren't.

OOPS! MY BAD! just doesn't cut it...

[smb]

10. If You're Thinking About The One "Exception" I'm Thinking About...

...then I don't want an "exception" -- I want as many years behind bars as the flabby old bellyacher can eke out of his miserable existence.

[smb]

9. That Provides Some Perspective

So, Orangeface, as you sit upon your steel throne in your 8x10 cell, remember that it could have been worse....

[Beartracks]

12. Resigned rather than face impeachment. Hm. Interesting. n/t

[Aussie105]

13. It's a clear message

to former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to stay out of the country if he values his life, he just isn't welcome.

Perhaps Trump could escape to Russia, and be sent the same message?