Islamabad (Pakistan): In a first in Pakistan's history, a special court on Tuesday handed a death sentence to former military dictator Pervez Musharraf in a high treason case. The court comprising Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth, Justice Nazar Akbar of the Sindh High Court (SHC) and Justice Shahid Karim of the Lahore High Court (LHC) took up the high treason case against Musharraf earlier today.

The special court earlier this month had said that it would announce the verdict in the case on December 17. The court on November 19 concluded the trial proceedings in the case against Musharraf for declaring a state emergency on November 3, 2007.