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DATE=3/13/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=PAK / SHARIF / L
NUMBER=2-260120
BYLINE=SCOTT ANGER
DATELINE=ISLAMABAD
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO:  Defense lawyers for Pakistan's ousted Prime 
Minister Nawaz Sharif have boycotted the criminal 
trial to protest the killing of one of their 
colleagues -- shot dead in a daylight attack Friday.  
As Correspondent Scott Anger reports, their failure to 
appear has delayed the prosecution's final arguments 
in the case against Mr. Sharif and six others accused 
of hijacking, attempted murder and kidnapping.
TEXT:   The judge in the special anti-terrorism court 
has adjourned proceedings until Tuesday, after Nawaz 
Sharif told the court he had not been informed of his 
lawyer's move and asked for time to consult them.
Iqbal Raad -- one of the key members of the defense 
team -- was shot dead in his office by unidentified 
gunmen in the southern Pakistani city, Karachi, where 
the trial is being held.   Police say no arrests have 
been made and no one has claimed responsibility for 
the attack.
Lead defense lawyer Khawaja Sultan says the murder has 
highlighted the vulnerability of the defense lawyers, 
none of whom live or work in the country's most 
violent city.
            ///SULTAN ACTUALITY///
In Karachi, we feel out of sorts.  Without any 
protection or security, we can be ambushed anywhere 
from the hotel to the courtroom.
            ///END ACTUALITY///
Hundreds of people have been killed in the sectarian, 
ethnic and political violence, which has plagued 
Karachi during the last five years.
Because of the security concerns, the defense says it 
has asked for a change in venue and would like the 
trial to continue in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. 
The chief prosecutor in the case says the government 
is prepared to provide security to the defense 
lawyers.
Mr. Raad's murder comes two weeks before President 
Clinton stops in Pakistan during his planned trip to 
South Asia.  White House officials say there are no 
plans to announce any change to Mr. Clinton's 
itinerary, which includes a visit to Bangladesh and a 
five-day stop in India.  (SIGNED)
NEB/SA / WD
13-Mar-2000 07:11 AM EDT (13-Mar-2000 1211 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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