Former military leader General Pervez Musharraf has been sentenced to death for high treason at a special hearing in Islamabad.
The three-member court’s majority verdict and sentence was announced in relation to a charge that has been hanging over the ex-president since 2013.
The court’s full ruling was not available but a government official said he had been found guilty of “a violation of the constitution of Pakistan”.
Musharraf has been on trial over his suspension of the constitution in 2007, when he imposed emergency rule in a move intended to extend his rule.
He seized power in a military coup in 1999 and served as the country’s president from 2001 to 2008.
He is currently in Dubai after being allowed to leave the country for medical treatment in 2016 and has refused to appear before the court.
In a video statement issued from hospital earlier this month he said he had not been given a fair hearing.
“I served the nation and made decisions for the betterment of the country,” he said.
General Musharraf is the first military ruler to stand trial in Pakistan for overruling the constitution.
He survived numerous assassination attempts and plots against him during his time in power and was known internationally for his support of America’s “war on terror” after the 9/11 attacks.
