Treason Charges Dropped Against Former Pakistani President
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Riccardo S. Savi/WireImage(ISLAMABAD) — It appears as if former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has escaped another close call.
Musharraf, who returned to his homeland in March after four years in exile, was facing treason charges for violating the constitution while he was president, with a conviction possibly bringing death by hanging.
However, Pakistan’s caretaker government decided on Monday that it would drop the charges against Musharraf, who has been under house arrest since last Friday at his villa outside of Islamabad.
The latest ruling doesn’t mean that Musharraf has nothing to worry about. He could still face a trial and possible execution if political rival Nawaz Sharif is elected prime minister in next month’s election. The two men are bitter foes and Sharif has previously demanded the death penalty for the former president.
Musharraf had returned to Pakistan to help lead his political party in the upcoming election but the courts ruled him ineligible. He still faces charges of firing the judiciary in 2007.
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