Pakistan today set up a special court to try former President Pervez Musharraf for high treason, the first time a civilian administration has sought to prosecute a military ruler. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif approved the names of three judges for the special court.

"The government has notified the tribunal," a senior official in the Prime Minister's Office said. The judges were chosen on the basis of seniority. Justice Faisal Arab from Sindh high court, the senior most, will head the court. Syed Tahira Safdar of Balochistan high court and Yawaar Ali of Lahore high court are the other judges, the official said.

The charges levelled against the 70-year-old Musharraf for imposing emergency and subverting the Constitution in 2007 could entail the death penalty or life imprisonment.