DATE=4/5/2000
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
TITLE=PAK / SHARIF DECISION
NUMBER=5-46078
BYLINE=SCOTT ANGER
DATELINE=KARACHI
INTERNET=YES
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: The fate of Pakistan's deposed Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif will be decided Thursday after a three-
month trial. As correspondent Scott Anger reports
from Karachi, many observers believe the verdict could
also determine the credibility of the military regime
that toppled Mr. Sharif in a bloodless coup last
October.
TEXT: The verdict in the trial of Nawaz Sharif is
considered by some to be the first big test for
Pakistan's military rulers.
Political observers in the country say the trial of
Mr. Sharif on charges of kidnapping, attempted murder,
and hijacking puts pressure on the military to justify
their seizing control of the country.
Pakistan Human Rights Commission Director I.A. Rehman
says the legitimacy of the military government depends
on the verdict in the case.
/// REHMAN ACT ///
In political cases where the credentials, and
even the survival, of a regime depends on a
particular judgement then it acquires an extra
dimension. If this case goes (if there is no
conviction), then the grounds (the military
used) to take over the country on October 12th
also disappear. So that pushes the stakes
higher than a normal trial.
/// END ACT ///
The charges against Nawaz Sharif stem from October
12th, when a civilian plane carrying army chief
General Pervez Musharraf and 200 other passengers was
briefly denied permission to land at the Karachi
airport, after the prime minister removed General
Musharraf from his post. The prosecution alleges Mr.
Sharif ordered the aircraft to be diverted from
landing - a move the military says endangered the
lives of all on board because the aircraft was running
low on fuel. The plane eventually landed after troops
loyal to General Musharraf took control of the
airport.
Critics say Pakistan's military leader, General
Musharraf, should have first put the former prime
minister on trial for corruption and misrule, which
would have shown that he took power to save the
country, and not just to save his job. If Mr. Sharif
is not convicted of the charges, some say the
government's case could look like a personal vendetta
and could weaken General Musharraf's credibility.
Ahmer Bilal Soofi, an attorney with experience in
hijacking cases, says a conviction is likely for Nawaz
Sharif. But he says defense lawyers have created
enough doubt about the former prime minister's guilt
to save Mr. Sharif from the death penalty.
/// SOOFI ACT ///
Maybe life in prison - or less than that. It
will depend purely on the discretion of the
judge. I think the defense has brought on
record good evidence to show that there was no
intention to bring harm to the passengers on
board.
/// END ACT ///
Hijacking, which carries the death penalty, is the
most serious of the charges facing Mr. Sharif, his
younger brother Shahbaz and five other co-defendants.
Legal experts say if the military wants to simply
sideline Mr. Sharif, they can. Election laws in
Pakistan ban convicted criminals from holding public
office. Supporters of the former prime minister and
his co-defendants are worried the military wants to
permanently eliminate Mr. Sharif.
Saadia Abbasi is the sister of one of the defendants,
former Pakistan International Airlines chairman Shahid
Abbasi. Ms. Abbasi says the controversial conviction
and execution of former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali
Bhutto by the military in 1979, shows how far a
government can go.
/// ABBASI ACT //
One can only hope for things. People tell us,
who were involved in Mr. Bhutto's trial, said
that time, right up to the very last minute, we
thought they would never hang Mr. Bhutto.
/// END ACT ///
Despite calls for clemency, Mr. Bhutto was ordered
hanged by military ruler General Zia-ul-Haq for
conspiring to kill a political opponent.
Many politicians, including President Clinton, have
warned General Musharraf against repeating the same
course. General Musharraf, who has the power to
commute any sentence handed to Nawaz Sharif, says he
is not a vindictive man. (SIGNED)
NEB/SA/RAE
05-Apr-2000 07:32 AM EDT (05-Apr-2000 1132 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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