ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Former military ruler Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday faces trial for treason over his imposition of emergency rule in 2007, charges he has dismissed as politically motivated.
The 70-year-old is expected to appear in person before a specially-convened court in the capital Islamabad, after legal efforts to have the tribunal ruled invalid failed.
Security around the court was tight for the man who led Pakistan into its uneasy alliance with the US in the "war on terror" and now lives under heavy armed guard because of Taliban threats to his life.
Armed government paramilitary Rangers were stationed around the National Library building, where the hearing is to take place, and shipping containers put in place to form a security barrier to the compound.
It is the first time in Pakistan's history that a former military ruler has been put on trial for treason.
The case puts the government, which brought the charges, on a collision course with the all-powerful army, which faces the embarrassment of having its former chief tried by civilians.
Musharraf was put under house arrest in April over the cases but was granted bail in each, one by one.
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