ISLAMABAD: The special court constituted to try former military ruler Pervez Musharraf for treason resumed the case's hearing on Friday with the retired general failing to appear before it, DawnNews reported.
The three-judge court, headed by Justice Faisal Arab of the Sindh High Court, began the proceedings.
During the proceedings, Musharraf's lawyers filed requests in the court to not issue any directives before any decisions on the ex-army strongman's plea for exemption and other miscellaneous petitions have been announced.
The lawyers said petitions were pending in relation to the court's jurisdiction and the judges comprising the special court, adding that a decision should also be reached on whether Musharraf's trial should be moved to a military court.
Sources in the defence legal team had earlier told Dawn that Musharraf had challenged the jurisdiction of the special court and, therefore, it was not appropriate for him to face the trial unless the issue of jurisdiction of the court was decided.
Meanwhile, security forces had arrived at the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC) to take Musharraf to the special court.
If Musharraf fails to appear today, the three-member court may reject his bail and issue a non-bailable arrest warrant against him. It may as well order the Islamabad police to arrest the retired general and bring him to court.
Musharraf has been in the AFIC since Jan 2 when he reported a cardiac problem while on his way to the special court.
On Jan 31, the special court issued bailable arrest warrants for Gen Musharraf and observed that his absence from the hearing was deliberate.
Retired Gen Rashid Qureshi, a close aide of Musharraf, deposited surety bonds of Rs2.5 million under protest and his counsel challenged the issuance of arrest warrants before the special court and the Supreme Court.