Pakistani court rejects petition challenging Pervez Musharraf's trial

A Pakistani court today rejected a petition challenging the constitution of a special court to try former President Pervez Musharraf on a charge of high treason for imposing emergency in 2007.

The petition rejected by the Islamabad High Court was filed by a lawyer named Riaz Hanif Rahi.

During the hearing, Justice Noorul Haque Qureshi observed that Rahi should have approached the proper forum.

The court's registrar's office also recorded its objection, saying that the petitioner was not an affected person and had no right to challenge the setting up of the special court.

The three-judge special court that will hear the treason case against Musharraf is headed by Justice Faisal Arab of Sindh High Court.

Musharraf has been embroiled in a series of cases since he returned to Pakistan from self-exile in March to contest the general election.

A court barred him from contesting polls for life and he was arrested in connection with the 2007 assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto and the killing of Baloch leader Akbar Bugti in a military operation in 2006.