Ex-Pakistani President Musharraf hospitalized just before his trial | CNN

Pervez Musharraf —

Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf speaks in London in 2010. Musharraf led Pakistan from 1999 to 2008, when he resigned and went into exile after being charged of violating the country's constitution in 2007. He returned in 2013, intending to run in national elections, but soon found himself entangled in legal trouble again.

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Pervez Musharraf —

Musharraf, left, takes the presidential oath of office in Islamabad, Pakistan, on June 20, 2001. Musharraf appointed himself president after leading a successful coup against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 1999. He would also remain head of the army.

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Pervez Musharraf —

Musharraf shakes hands with military officials in 2001.

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Pervez Musharraf —

Musharraf speaks in 2002 at an event in Washington hosted by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

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Pervez Musharraf —

Musharraf sits with his wife, Begum Sehba, at their residence in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, in 2002.

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Pervez Musharraf —

Former French President Jacques Chirac speaks with Musharraf at the Elysee Palace in Paris in 2003.

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Pervez Musharraf —

Musharraf salutes before his speech at the United Nations General Assembly in 2003.

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Pervez Musharraf —

Musharraf, then-U.S. President George W. Bush and Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai stand in the Rose Garden of the White House as Bush delivers remarks in 2006.

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Pervez Musharraf —

Musharraf speaks to the press in November 2007, days after he declared a state of emergency in the country. Musharraf suspended Pakistan's constitution, imposed restrictions on the press and postponed the January 2008 elections. He said he did so to stabilize the country and to fight rising Islamist extremism. His action drew sharp criticism from democracy advocates, and Pakistanis openly called for his ouster.

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Pervez Musharraf —

Musharraf speaks at a change-of-command ceremony in Rawalpindi on November 28, 2007. Musharraf stepped down as leader of Pakistan's army a day before he was to be sworn in as president for the third time.

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Pervez Musharraf —

Men in Quetta, Pakistan, watch as Musharraf announces his resignation as president on August 18, 2008. A month earlier, the Pakistan Supreme Court issued notice that Musharraf would have to defend himself on charges of violating the constitution by declaring emergency rule in November 2007.

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Pervez Musharraf —

Musharraf salutes as he arrives at a news conference in London in 2010. Musharraf fled to the United Kingdom instead of facing the charges against him in Pakistan.

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Pervez Musharraf —

Musharraf greets supporters outside the airport in Karachi, Pakistan, on March 24, 2013. With three court cases pending against him, Musharraf returned to Pakistan after four years of exile. He was granted bail in advance of his arrival, so he was not arrested.

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Pervez Musharraf —

Musharraf is escorted by soldiers as he arrives at an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad on April 20, 2013. A Pakistani court rejected Musharraf's request for a bail extension, and Musharraf was put under house arrest.

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Pervez Musharraf

Story highlights

Musharraf is charged with treason for allegedly violating Pakistan's constitution

In 2007, he imposed emergency military rule in the country

If convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison or the death penalty

Musharraf has defended his actions by saying he was trying to stabilize the country

CNN —

Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, who was due in court Thursday for his trial, has been hospitalized after falling ill, his lawyer told CNN.

He was taken to a hospital on his doctor’s orders, lawyer Ahmad Raza Kasuri said. His trial was subsequently postponed until Monday.

Asiya Ishaq, a supporter and leader of the All Pakistan Muslim League, said the former President had been feeling pressure on his chest since Wednesday evening and was not well.

When asked if he will go to Dubai for treatment, she said that “Musharraf will not leave Pakistan.” Ishaq also said that as far as she knows, “Musharraf has got three arteries blocked and is currently undergoing angiography,” an artery-scanning procedure.

Atiqa Odho, a Pakistani actor who’s a former leader of the APML, a party that Musharraf launched in 2010, offered support for Musharraf on Thursday.

“I pray for President Musharraf’s health and long life,” she said. “It is painful to see how heartbroken a great and brave man is, due to being let down by people who claimed to be his supporters.”

Musharraf could be sentenced to life in prison or the death penalty if convicted on charges of treason. Prosecutors say he violated Pakistan’s constitution by imposing emergency military rule in 2007.

The former President ruled the country from 1999 to 2008.

He went into exile in 2008 but came back to Pakistan last year, intending to run in the country’s national elections. But his plans unraveled as he became entangled in a web of court cases relating to his time in power.

The accusations

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has accused Musharraf of illegally abrogating on the constitution in November 2007. That month, Musharraf declared a state of emergency, suspended Pakistan’s constitution, replaced the chief judge and blacked out independent TV outlets.

Musharraf said he did so to stabilize the country and to fight rising Islamist extremism. The action drew sharp criticism from the United States and democracy advocates. Pakistanis openly called for his ouster.

Under pressure from the West, he later lifted the state of emergency and promised elections.