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Musharraf Treason Trial Postponed


FILE - A poster of former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf is seen hung up near a checkpoint outside his house, where he has been held under house arrest in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013.
FILE - A poster of former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf is seen hung up near a checkpoint outside his house, where he has been held under house arrest in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013.
The first hearing in the treason trial for former Pakistani leader General Pervez Musharraf has been delayed because of a bomb scare.

Officials in Islamabad Tuesday said the proceedings were postponed after explosives were found near the road Musharraf would have taken to court.

Police said they also found five kilograms of explosive material and detonators, plus two pistols, near Musharraf's residence in Islamabad.

The judge set January 1 as Musharraf's next court date.

The treason case relates to Musharraf's 2007 decision to suspend the constitution and impose emegency rule. If convicted, he could face the death penalty or life in prison.

Musharraf faces several other criminal cases dating to his 1999-2008 rule, including one related to the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in 2007. He had been granted bail in all cases against him since his return to Pakistan earlier this year.

Musharraf will be the first military ruler tried for treason in the country, which has experienced three military coups in its 66-year history.
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