Musharraf sees 'personal animosity'

Former president General Pervez Musharraf (retd), who was sentenced to death for treason by a special court on Tuesday, has raised serious questions on his trial, saying that the proceedings were wrapped up in haste based on "some people's personal animosity" towards him, a private TV channel reported.

In a video message from his hospital bed in Dubai and aired by a private TV channel, the ailing former army chief said there was no precedent of such a trial in the judicial history in which the defendant was not given the right to defend himself, nor was his lawyer allowed to argue on behalf of his client. "I had even offered to record my statement before a judicial commission, but even that offer was ignored," he added.

"I call it [special court verdict] a suspicious judgment because it disregarded the principle of supremacy of law from the beginning. I'd rather say that if going by the Constitution, this case should not have been heard," said Musharraf, who sounded weak and seriously ill.

The former army chief said the case against him had been taken up and concluded based on some people's "personal animosity" towards him. "In this case, some people in high offices misused their authority to target one individual," he added. "Targeting an individual based on selective events reveals the intentions of these people." Musharraf said he respects the judiciary and believes, like Chief Justice Khosa, that everybody should be equal before the law.