Musharraf was not given a fair trial and decision to hand him death penalty was announced in haste: lawyer.

ISLAMABAD -- Former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf's lawyer Barrister Salman Safdar said on Tuesday that the former army chief was not given a fair trial and the decision to hand him the death penalty was announced in haste.

"This [ruling] is worse than the decision to hang Zulfikar Ali Bhutto," said Safdar during a press conference at the National Press Club in Islamabad. "There are various mistakes in the procedure."

He said that legal requirements were missing in the case and that an equal opportunity was not given to Musharraf. Safdar said that it was unfortunate how a 77-year-old former president was tried for treason and not even heard.

"Instead of the cabinet, only the prime minister gave the approval for the case against Musharraf," he said. "Why weren't Shaukat Aziz and Justice (retd) Abdul Hameed Dogar included as suspects in the case?"

An APML spokesperson said that the party will appeal against the verdict of the special court. "We were shocked by the decision that was announced by the special court today," she said.

Safdar said that the former army chief's legal team will have...