Earlier this month Pakistan's ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif was sentenced to two life terms in jail for charges on terrorism and plane hijacking. After the verdict, however, the Pakistani prosecutors appealed against the two life-terms for the former prime minister. Instead they opined that on charges such as terrorism and hijacking, he should be given the maximum punishment: the death sentence.
General Pervez Musharraf took over Pakistan as a result of a bloodless coup in October 1999 and ousted Sharif and his cabinet from power. After putting Sharif on trial he was sentenced to two concurrent life terms, i.e., 25 years of imprisonment, on charges relating to October 12, 1999, when a commercial plane carrying army chief Musharraf was briefly prevented from landing in Karachi.
Raja Qureshi, who is the Advocate-General of Sindh province, filed two appeals at Sindh High Court seeking to overturn Sharif's two jail terms into a death sentence and also to challenge the acquittal of six of Sharif associates, including Shahbaz Sharif, Nawaz's elder brother. He said "We are not satisfied with the judgment against Sharif… We want complete justice and in the case of hijacking the only penal action is maximum punishment."
The appeals are in sharp contrast to the appeals by the international community, which urged the rulers of Pakistan to show clemency. President Bill Clinton asked General Musharraf to show mercy during a brief visit to Pakistan last month.
Lawyers say the appeal process could take months or even years. In the meantime, Sharif, his brother and close aides are being investigated on several other counts of corruption.
While General Musharraf has denied any involvement in the trial, he has also clarified repeatedly that he is not a vindictive man. Sharif's wife, Begum Kulsoom Nawaz, on the hand, says that her husband has been singled out by the military rulers and that the verdict was not based on a free and fair trial but had a strong political motive.
Last Tuesday, Sindh High Court admitted an appeal filed by Nawaz Sharif against his hijacking and terrorism convictions and life sentences and said a formal hearing date would be set later. But the two-member court set May 2nd to hear a defense application that sought the suspension of a lower court order that fined Sharif and forfeited his property. However, according to Khawaja Naveed, one of the defense lawyers, the division bench of the High Court has admitted the appeal, but a formal hearing was likely to begin in the middle of May or early June.
Qaisra Riaz Gondal is a freelance writer for IslamOnline from Lahore, Pakistan. For feedback, e-mail editorial staff at
ejaz@islam-online.net
Asia & Africa
