DATE=12/4/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=PAK - SHARIF (L)
NUMBER=2-256835
BYLINE=SCOTT ANGER
DATELINE=KARACHI
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: A special anti-terrorism court in Pakistan has
delayed the trial of former prime minister Nawaz
Sharif on charges of attempted murder, treason and
hijacking. As VOA's Scott Anger reports from Karachi,
the delay gives the government a chance to appoint a
new judge in the case.
TEXT: The presiding judge in the case of Pakistan's
ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif has decided formal
charges will not be heard until December 8th, after a
new judge is expected to be appointed. The ruling by
Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Rehmat Hussain Jafri, a
sessions court judge, comes a day after the country's
military government announced that a high court judge
must now take control of the proceedings.
Iqbal Raad, one of four members of Mr. Sharif's
defense team, says the government's last-minute move
jeopardizes the chance of a fair trial for
his client.
///Raad Act///
They (the government) are changing at the eleventh
hour. What was the need of all this? All these moves
are being made to negate a fair trial and to have
their (the government's) own choice of judges.
///End Act///
Pakistan's chief prosecutor in the case, Raja Qureshi,
says the amendment to the anti-terrorism law will make
the trial more transparent. He says no
objections have been raised about the current judge
but since this is such a high-profile case, the
government wants a more senior judge to handle the
trial.
Mr. Sharif looked rested during his appearance in a
special anti-terrorism court in the southern port
city, Karachi. The ex-prime minister told
journalists during a break in Saturday's hearing, that
his case is one-hundred percent political. He says
the amendment in the law clearly shows the
government's partiality and vindictiveness.
Among the charges Nawaz Sharif faces, hijacking is the
most serious. If convicted, he and the other
defendants, including his brother Shahbaz, could face
the death penalty.
Pakistan's military leaders have accused the former
prime minister of attempting to divert a plane
carrying army chief General Pervez Musharraf from Sri
Lanka to Karachi October 12th. Hours after the high
altitude drama, General Musharraf overthrew the Sharif
government in a bloodless coup.
The delay in the trial makes it possible for Mr.
Sharif to appear before the Supreme Court of Pakistan
in the capital, Islamabad Tuesday. The court has
ordered him to appear in connection with contempt of
court charges that have been re-opened. Those charges
stem from an incident when the court was invaded by a
mob in 1997, during Mr. Sharif's constitutional
showdown with the Supreme Court's chief justice, who
was removed from his post shortly afterward. (SIGNED)
NEB/SA/PLM
04-Dec-1999 06:55 AM EDT (04-Dec-1999 1155 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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