Karachi Bar Association 'shocked' over govt's defence of Musharraf.

The Karachi Bar Association (KBA) has lashed out at the government for "defending and protecting a convicted criminal", following the Centre's decision to appeal a special court's verdict in the treason case against former army chief retired Gen Pervez Musharraf.

"The KBA is shocked that the government is solely concerned about defending and protecting a convicted criminal rather than doing its lawful duty to prosecute and punish him," said a press release by the body, dated December 21.

"More particularly, the attorney general and law minister and other ministers who are supposed to prosecute a criminal on behalf of the State are defending that criminal rather than supporting the judgment."

On December 17, a special court had convicted former military dictator Musharraf in a treason case and handed him a death penalty. Following the release of the detailed verdict, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government had termed the trial "unfair" and decided to defend the self-exiled, ailing ex-president during the hearing of an appeal to be filed on his behalf.

'I will defend the law in the case but not any individual,' Attorney General Anwar Mansoor had said. 'Musharraf was not given a chance to record his statement under Article 342 (of the Constitution), to present his testimony and witnesses and his request to record his statement through video link or before a commission was turned down by the judge,' he had observed.

"It is also strange that provisions of the Constitution are now being quoted in defence of Gen (R) Musharraf who said 'the Constitution is a piece of paper to be thrown in the dustbin'," noted the KBA in its statement. "In fact, Constitution is supreme and no one is above the law be it general, dictator or anyone else."

KBA also regretted the statement issued by the director general of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) after the verdict was announced, in which he had said that the special court's decision was "received with lot of pain and anguish within rank and file of Pakistan Armed Forces".

"As far as the pain and anguish expressed by the DG ISPR is concerned, the KBA wishes such emotions had been expressed when Gen (R) Musharraf disgraced the good name of Pakistan's beloved Armed Forces by suspending the Constitution and imposing martial law or when he masterminded the tragic events of May 12, 2007 when dozens of citizens including lawyers lost their lives," the KBA said in its statement.

"On that fateful day, when...