Small-town Texas doctor figures into treason trial of Pakistan's ex-president

(FILES) In this photograph taken on April 20, 2013, Former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf (C) is escorted by soldiers as he arrives at an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad. Pakistan's former military ruler Pervez Musharraf on December 24, 2013, is scheduled to face trial for treason over his imposition of emergency rule in 2007, charges he has dismissed as politically motivated. The 70-year-old is expected to appear in person before a specially-convened court in the capital Islamabad, after legal efforts to have the tribunal ruled invalid failed. AFP PHOTO/AAMIR QURESHI/FILESAAMIR QURESHI/AFP/Getty Images less (FILES) In this photograph taken on April 20, 2013, Former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf (C) is escorted by soldiers as he arrives at an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad. Pakistan's former military ... more Photo: AAMIR QURESHI, Staff Photo: AAMIR QURESHI, Staff Image 1 of / 23 Caption Close Small-town Texas doctor figures into treason trial of Pakistan's ex-president 1 / 23 Back to Gallery

Unlikely as it may seem, a cardiologist who happens to be mayor of Paris, Texas, has become a factor in the treason trial of Pakistan's former president, Pervez Musharraf.

Dr. Arjumand Hashmi, a native of Pakistan who has been Paris mayor since 2011, wrote an open letter earlier this month about Musharraf's heart condition, stating that in his opinion, the former president should be transferred to the Paris Regional Medical Center for treatment.

Paris, a town of about 25,000, is roughly 300 miles north of Houston, near the Oklahoma border.

Musharraf's lawyer submitted the letter to a special Islamabad court where the 70-year-old former president has been a no-show, for various reasons including a bomb scare, since his trial was due to start in December.

Hashmi is the Paris medical center's director of interventional cardiology and has been involved in Musharraf's treatment since examining him in 2006, when the president's heart condition was normal, according to Hashmi's letter.

Now, his condition is "alarming," Hashmi's letter stated, with "multi-vessel coronary disease."

Hashmi was treating patients Monday and could not immediately be reached for comment.

Musharraf is a patient at a Rawalpindi hospital, the Associated Press reported. He has been at the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology since Jan. 2, when he failed to appear in court on the treason charge.

Judges in the treason case ruled earlier this month that Musharraf was to appear in court Jan. 16, but he did not attend the hearing, AP reported. His lawyers said Musharraf was still not well.

While skeptics question whether Musharraf is using health problems as an excuse to avoid trial, internationally known Houston socialite Joanne King Herring, who considers the former president a friend, said Monday that's not the case.

"I'm sure he's sick because the circumstances which he's been under have been terrible," said Herring, who traveled often to Pakistan between 1975 and 1995, when she worked for the country's export promotion bureau.

"He was under threat of hanging and incarcerated for a long time," Herring said of Musharraf. "How well would anyone be?"

Herring has also been deeply involved with Afghanistan, a story told in the movie Charlie Wilson's War, in which Herring was played by Julia Roberts.

Herring said she met Musharraf during visits to Houston in his exile years - 2008 to 2013 - when he was trying to marshal support for a political comeback.

"I talked to him at length," she said. "I really like President Musharraf, and I've been told he's the only hope for Pakistan - this is from Pakistanis."

Although his political comeback was shut down by his arrest about a month after his return to Pakistan in March, Herring said Musharraf still enjoys the support and respect of the army.

She says the Pakistani army is an important institution because it has kept nuclear weapons from getting into the hands of terrorists.

Musharraf came to power in 1999 in a coup that ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and served until August 2008, when he resigned under threat of impeachment.

The treason case stems from Musharraf's 2007 decision to impose a state of emergency and to detain a number of judges who opposed it. At the time, U.S. officials called upon Musharraf not to impose emergency rule.

Sharif returned to the office of prime minister in June.