Death penalty for former Pakistan president Musharraf thrown out

A court in Pakistan has overturned the death sentence handed down to former president Pervez Musharraf by declaring the legal process unconstitutional, Report says, citing Geo Tv.

Gen. Musharraf had challenged the formation of a special court that found him guilty of treason last December.

On Monday, the Lahore High Court sided with the exiled general, who seized power in a 1999 coup and was president from 2001 to 2008.

The decision meant Gen. Musharraf was "a free man," one prosecutor said.

However, according to BBC Urdu, the case could still be retried in another court.

The high treason charge has been pending since 2013. It related to Gen. Musharraf's suspension of the constitution in 2007 after he declared an emergency in a move intended to extend his tenure.

The court's penalty was unlikely to be carried out. Gen. Musharraf was allowed to leave Pakistan in 2016 and is in Dubai.