A court in Pakistan has charged former military ruler Pervez Musharraf with treason, the first army chief to face such a prosecution.
Mr Musharraf is accused of unlawfully suspending the constitution and instituting emergency rule in 2007.
He has pleaded not guilty and has always claimed that the charges against him are politically motivated. He faces the death penalty if convicted, the BBC reports.
Mr Musharraf was president from 2001 to 2008, one of Pakistan's longest-serving rulers. He went into self-imposed exile in 2008 before returning to the country in March 2013.
He had hoped to lead his party into elections, but was disqualified from standing and found himself fighting an array of charges relating to his time in power. He has been in hospital since the beginning of this year and reports say he is being treated for high blood pressure.
The judge read out five charges to Mr Musharraf on Monday. He pleaded "not guilty" to each of them but also addressed the court with a speech about his services to Pakistan and questioned how he could be called a traitor.
Mr Musharraf declared that he was a patriot who fought in two wars for his country and that he acted within the constitution when he declared a state of emergency in the country in 2007. He said he did not act alone when he suspended the constitution in 2007.
The former president entered the court and was heavily guarded, but nevertheless appeared relaxed, even waving to the audience, a BBC correspondent reported.
Judge Faisal Arab, who heads the special panel of three judges, rejected a defence plea for additional time. Mr Musharraf is currently under house arrest.
The case marks the first time a former military officer of Mr Musharraf's rank has appeared in court before a judge, Reuters reports. Historically, the powerful Pakistani military has rarely been challenged by either the government or the judiciary.
