Musharraf not to be charged with treason by caretaker government

ISLAMABAD, April 22 (UPI) -- The Pakistani caretaker government has decided not to charge former military leader Pervez Musharraf with treason.

The caretaker government did not completely dismiss the charges, but said the winner of Pakistan's upcoming general election should make the decision on whether Musharraf will be charged with treason, The New York Times reported Monday.

In a statement to the Supreme Court, the caretaker government said there was "no urgency" to try Musharraf, and that it preferred to confine its work to "day-to-day matters."

Musharraf has been under house arrest since Saturday on unrelated charges. He is accused of abrogating Pakistan's constitution two times -- once when he seized power in 1999, and again in November 2007 when he imposed emergency rule.

The former leader of Pakistan was in a self-imposed exile for four years until he returned to Pakistan last month to run in the general elections. However, the election commission disqualified him.