Pakistan’s Government Criticizes Judiciary, Siding With Army
- Opposition parties support the courts taking on the military
- The military has the support of Prime Minister Imran Khan
Supporters of the All Pakistan Muslim League (APML), the party of former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, protest in Karachi on Dec. 18.
Photographer: Asif Hassan/AFP via Getty Images
Top ministers in Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government have criticized the judiciary for sentencing a former army chief to death, and suggested the move may increase the possibility of confrontation with the military leading to political strife.
On Tuesday, a special court handed down the death penalty in absentia to Pervez Musharraf for the crime of high treason for suspending the constitution as the president in 2007. The verdict came two weeks after the Supreme Court ordered that current army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa’s three-year extension needed the approval of Parliament.