ISLAMABAD: Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Waqar Ahmed Seth, who awarded death sentence to former army chief General Pervez Musharraf (retd) in a high treason case, died on Thursday of COVID-19.
According to family sources, Justice Seth admitted to an Islamabad private hospital last week with coronavirus related complications.
Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed and other judges of Supreme Court have expressed deep sorrow and grief over the sad demise of Justice Waqar.
The special court had sentenced Musharraf to death under Article 6 of the Constitution on December 17, 2019. In the detailed judgment, Justice Seth said in paragraph 66 that “we direct the Law Enforcement Agencies to strive their best to apprehend the fugitive/convict and to ensure that the punishment is inflicted as per law and if found dead, his corpse be dragged to the D-Chowk, Islamabad, Pakistan and be hanged for 03 days.”
Vice Chairman Pakistan Bar Council Abid Saqi, PBC Executive Committee Chairman Azam Nazir Tarar and Supreme Court Bar Association President Latif Afridi have expressed sorrow over Justice Waqar’s death.
The PBC and SCBA have mourning day today (Friday).
Two days ago, Justice Waqar had filed an application in the Supreme Court, urging to appoint him in the vacant seat of judge that had fallen vacant after the retirement of Justice Faisal Arab.
Justice Waqar was the most senior chief justice among all the high courts of the country. He had prayed to the apex court that his case be fixed at the earliest and in the meantime Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) may be restrained from making any recommendation against the said vacancy. His funeral prayers will be offered at Karnal Sher Khan Stadium at 2pm on Friday (today).
He also presided the special court which heard the high treason case against former president Pervez Musharraf and one of the two judges on a three-judge panel, who had handed down the death sentence.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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