Pakistan PM Imran Khan and army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa. The government and military have been critical of the... Read More

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's outgoing chief justice Asif Saeed Khosa said on Friday that he was retiring with a crystal clear conscience but noted that a "malicious campaign" has been launched against him and the judiciary following the death sentence handed out to ex-military ruler Pervez Musharraf in a treason case against him.

Khosa, 64, who would retire at midnight on Friday, said the judiciary and he were being singled out in the criticism.

A three-member special court bench sentenced 76-year-old Musharraf to death in absentia on Tuesday for high treason following a six-year legal case. He was given death sentence for abrogating the constitution in 2007, angering the military and the Imran Khan government.

Pakistan army's spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor has been heavily critical of the verdict, accusing judiciary of overstepping its constitutional remit. On Thursday, Law minister Farogh Naseem said that the judge who wrote the judgment was mentally unfit and should be stopped from performing his duties.

UK-educated Khosa said: "A malicious campaign has been started against the judiciary and myself. The allegations are baseless and incorrect. We know the limits of our powers and we know that the truth shall always prevail".

The Pakistan Bar Council condemned the criticism of the verdict by the government and the army, according to a statement on Thursday night. "The legal community in Pakistan is of the view that the attitude adopted by the federal government, its ministers, law officers, and the attorney-general confirms that the party in power has been installed by the Army and that its institution is on the 'driving seat."

The army has directly or indirectly ruled the country for much of its existence. The verdict is likely to be viewed as humiliation for a military used to calling the shots. PTI

