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| Pakistan's Musharraf charged with high treason | Pakistan's Musharraf charged with high treason |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A court in Pakistan has charged former military ruler Pervez Musharraf with treason, the first army chief to face such a prosecution. | A court in Pakistan has charged former military ruler Pervez Musharraf with treason, the first army chief to face such a prosecution. |
| Mr Musharraf is accused of unlawfully suspending the constitution and instituting emergency rule in 2007. | Mr Musharraf is accused of unlawfully suspending the constitution and instituting emergency rule in 2007. |
| He pleaded not guilty and has always claimed that the charges against him are politically motivated. He faces the death penalty if convicted. | He pleaded not guilty and has always claimed that the charges against him are politically motivated. He faces the death penalty if convicted. |
| President from 2001 to 2008, he was one of Pakistan's longest-serving rulers. | President from 2001 to 2008, he was one of Pakistan's longest-serving rulers. |
| He went into self-imposed exile in 2008, returning to Pakistan in March 2013. | |
| He had hoped to lead his party into elections, but was disqualified from standing and found himself fighting an array of charges relating to his time in power. | |
| He has been in hospital since the beginning of year and reports say he is being treated for high blood pressure. | |
| The judge read out five charges to Mr Musharraf. | |
| He pleaded "not guilty" to each of them but also addressed the court with a speech about his services to the country and questioned how he could be called a traitor. | |
| He declared that he was a patriot who fought in two wars for his country and that he acted within the constitution when he declared a state of emergency in the country in 2007. | |
| Mr Musharraf also added that he did not act alone when he suspended the constitution in 2007. | |
| The BBC's Shaan Khan at the scene reports that when the former president entered the court he was heavily guarded, but nevertheless appeared relaxed, even waving to the audience. |