Pakistan's top judge turned down a request Thursday to launch a treason case against former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, saying the Supreme Court lacked the authority. Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry's remarks could reassure both the fragile civilian government and military establishment, as they can ill-afford any fresh crisis at a time when the country is fighting a Taleban insurgency in parts of the northwest. “This is not the proper forum to initiate such case. We are not authorized to do so,” Chaudhry told the court. Hamid Khan, a lawyer who was at the forefront of a movement to oust Musharraf, asked a panel of 14 judges led by Chaudhry to begin treason proceedings on grounds that the general had seized power in a coup in 1999 and violated the constitution to extend his rule in 2007. The court last week ordered Musharraf to explain allegations that he appointed new judges under emergency rule in violation of the constitution, but Musharraf and his lawyers have stayed away from the hearings.
