ISLAMABAD: The special court on Thursday ordered to confiscate propertiesof former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf in treason case.

Three member bench of the special court headed by Peshawar High Court ChiefJustice Yahya Afridi and comprising Lahore High Court Chief Justice YawarAli and Balochistan High Court Justice Tahira Safdar resumed the treasoncase against Musharraf after a gap of night months.

The bench, formed in 2013, is hearing the case of imposition ofextra-constitutional emergency by Musharraf in November 2007.

During the hearing the Interior Ministry submitted in court a report onMusharraf’s properties, stating that four of seven properties are owned bythe former president and army chief.

Prosecutor Akram Sheikh, presenting arguments, pressed the court to orderMusharraf’s arrest and production in court.

The court inquired from the Federal Investigation Agency officials what theprocedure is to bring back an absconder from abroad. The officials repliedthat the Interior Ministry sends them a request in this regard after whichaction is taken.

Chief Justice Afridi remarked that the court is ordering the arrest andseizure of Musharraf’s properties. Musharraf’s counsel, Akhtar Shah,pleaded the court not to order confiscation of Musharraf’s properties untilMarch 21, but Justice Afridi remarked that this court procedure and cannotbe curtailed.

The hearing was then adjourned until March 21.

Moreover, during today’s hearing, senior lawyer Farogh Naseem excusedhimself from Musharraf’s legal team.

The former army chief was indicted in the case in March 2014 after heappeared before the court and rejected all charges.

On March 18, 2016, the former president left Pakistan for Dubai for medicaltreatment after his name was removed from the Exit Control List (ECL) onthe orders of the Supreme Court.