Special court hands death penalty to former military dictator Musharraf in high treason case.

ISLAMABAD -- In a first in Pakistan's history, a three-member bench of the special court, headed by Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth, on Tuesday handed former military ruler Pervez Musharraf death sentence in the long-drawn high treason case against him.

The former military chief is currently in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. The high treason trial of the former military dictator for clamping the state of emergency on Nov 3, 2007, had been pending since December 2013.

He was booked in the treason case in December 2013. Musharraf was indicted on March 31, 2014, and the prosecution had tabled the entire evidence before the special court in September the same year. However, due to litigation at appellate forums, the trial of the former military dictator lingered on and he left Pakistan in March 2016.

The special court, comprising Justice Seth, Justice Nazar Akbar of the Sindh High Court (SHC) and Justice Shahid Karim of the LHC - had announced the verdict.

The government submitted three petitions on Tuesday of which one asks the court to make three individuals - former prime minister Shaukat Aziz, former Supreme Court chief justice Abdul Hameed Dogar and former law minister Zahid Hamid - suspects in the case. "We want to make Musharraf's facilitators and companions suspects as well. It it important that the trial of all suspects is held at the same time," the prosecutor said.

"Submitting such a request after three and a half years means the government doesn't have the right intentions. Today the case was set for final arguments and now new petitions have been submitted," remarked Justice Karim.

Justice Akbar questioned the lawyer regarding the evidence against the individuals that the government wanted to include in the case.

"The stage of investigations and [presenting] evidence has passed. Has there been a new investigation against the included suspects?" he asked, in response to which the prosecutor said that an investigation can only be carried out after the complaint is registered.

The prosecutor said that according to a 2014 petition, Shaukat Aziz had told Musharraf to impose emergency.

Justice Akbar remarked that the prosecutor was referring to Musharraf's petition in which the verdict has been reserved while Justice Karim added that the Supreme Court has also issued a verdict on a petition regarding other suspects.

Justice Akbar said two weeks had been earlier granted to the government to present a modified charge...