A special court in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, on Tuesday found former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf guilty of high treason and handed him a death sentence in absentia.

Musharraf has been on trial for high treason for imposing a military coup and declaring a state of emergency in 2007. He is currently in Dubai of the UAE after being allowed to leave the country for medical treatment in 2016.

"Pervez Musharraf has been found guilty of Article 6 for violation of the Constitution of Pakistan," government law officer Salman Nadeem said.

The court announced the verdict in the long-drawn high treason case against Musharraf after hearing final arguments on Tuesday, according to local media.

"Special Court Islamabad has awarded death sentence to former President Pervez Musharraf in a high treason case," Radio Pakistan tweeted.

In a video recording issued from a hospital bed in Dubai, Musharraf said last month he was not being given a fair hearing in the case, filed in 2013 by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, whose government was ousted by Musharraf in 1999.

"I served the nation and made decisions for the betterment of the country," Musharraf said.

A lawyer representing Musharraf said he would challenge the court ruling.

Ahsan Iqbal, an aide to Sharif, hailed the ruling as a big day for democracy and hoped it would help end "the tradition of violating the Constitution."

Senator Pervaiz Rashid, also an aide to Sharif, called it a landmark ruling that would help constrain the military. "We have secured our future generations," he said.

The judiciary has been increasingly assertive in its battle with the military to establish the rule of law.

Three weeks ago, the Supreme Court struck down a three-year extension of army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa's tenure, saying there were no legal or constitutional grounds to grant the general another term after his retirement on November 29.

Pakistan's army issued a statement on Tuesday expressing "pain and anguish" over the death sentence given to Musharraf. 

"The decision given by special court about General Pervez Musharraf retired has been received with lot of pain and anguish by rank and file of Pakistan armed forces," the statement said. 

The former army chief of Pakistan seized power in a 1999 coup, dismissing the government of then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Musharraf later served as the country's president from 2001 to 2008.

After Sharif was elected prime minister in 2013, he initiated a treason trial against Musharraf, and in March 2014, the former general was charged for high treason.

The case centers around Musharraf's decision to suspend the Constitution and impose emergency rule in 2007, according to his lawyer Akhtar Shah.  

The controversial move ultimately sparked protests against Musharraf, leading to his resignation in the face of impeachment proceedings.

Musharraf has been in self-imposed exile ever since a travel ban was lifted in 2016 that allowed him to seek medical treatment abroad. The 76-year-old has since spent most of his time between Dubai and London.  

"Musharraf wanted to record his statement and was ready to visit Pakistan, but he wanted foolproof security which was not provided," lawyer Shah said. "He is still in Dubai and sick."

Musharraf, who was born in India's capital New Delhi but moved with his family to Pakistan at partition, took power after ousting Sharif in the bloodless coup two decades ago.  

The general became a key U.S. ally in the "war on terror" and escaped at least three Al-Qaeda assassination attempts during his nine years in office.

His rule faced no serious challenges until he tried to sack the chief justice in March 2007, sparking nationwide protests and months of turmoil that led to the imposition of a state of emergency.

After the December 2007 assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, the national mood soured further, and he was left isolated by the crushing losses suffered by his allies in February 2008 elections. 

Musharraf finally resigned in August 2008 in the face of impeachment proceedings by the new governing coalition and went into exile.

He returned in 2013 in an attempt to contest elections but was barred from taking part in the polls and from leaving the country while facing a barrage of legal cases.

Tuesday's ruling is the latest court decision to target Musharraf. In 2017, a Pakistani court pronounced Musharraf a fugitive in the murder trial of Bhutto. Musharraf is alleged to have been part of a broad conspiracy to have his political rival killed before elections. He has denied the allegation.

(With input from AFP, Reuters)