Pakistan’s former military ruler Pervez Musharraf was rushed to hospital Thursday after suffering a "heart problem" on his way to court in the latest dramatic twist in his treason trial

Pakistan's former military ruler Pervez Musharraf was rushed to hospital Thursday after suffering a "heart problem" on his way to court in the latest dramatic twist in his treason trial.
  
The 70-year-old had been summoned to the special tribunal in Islamabad after failing to show up for two previous sessions due to security threats against him. Jan Mohammad, a senior police official, told the court that Musharraf had fallen ill with a "heart problem" while being transported to the hearing under heavy guard.
 
He was undergoing tests at the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology in Rawalpindi, the garrison city bordering Islamabad. An aide to the ex-general, who is facing a series of criminal cases dating back to his 1999-2008 rule, told AFP he was in "bad shape".
  
His spokesman Raza Bokhari said in an emailed statement Musharraf was conscious and "oriented in time and space" and was being examined by military doctors. His wife has arrived at the hospital and his daughter is on her way from Karachi, a source said. A doctor who spoke on condition of anonymity said he was in a stable condition.
  
The treason hearing was adjourned till Monday, with Musharraf's legal team saying he would seek medical advice before deciding whether to attend. The team says the treason allegations, which relate to his imposition of emergency rule in November 2007, are politically motivated and his lawyers have challenged the authority of the three-judge tribunal.
  
A source from the former ruler's camp said efforts were under way to fly Musharraf out of Pakistan. There have been longstanding rumors of a deal to whisk him out of the country to avoid a destabilizing clash between the government, which brought the charges, and the powerful armed forces.