Sharif Sentenced To Life in Prison
Thursday April 6
By ZAHID HUSSAIN, Associated Press Writer
KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) - Pakistan's former prime minister was sentenced to
life in prison but escaped the death penalty Thursday, almost six months
after he unsuccessfully tried to fight off a coup by blocking the army
chief's plane from landing in Pakistan.
An anti-terrorist court convicted Nawaz Sharif of hijacking and terrorism
for the events of Oct. 12, when he refused to let a commercial airliner
carrying Gen. Pervez Musharraf land in the southern city of Karachi. The
army deposed Sharif that day, and Pakistan's new army rulers brought charges
against the ousted leader.
The court acquitted Sharif of two charges - attempted murder and kidnapping.
Six co-defendants, including Sharif's younger brother, were acquitted on all
counts.
Sharif denied all the charges. Both sides said they would appeal.
Sharif's relatives shouted and wept as the verdict was read, and several
protesters scuffled with police outside the courtroom. But the sentencing
did not inspire much protest among Pakistanis, many of whom had grown
frustrated with Sharif's corruption-riddled regime and had not objected to
the ouster of his elected government.
``I think God punished Nawaz Sharif for his crimes and people know that,''
Mohammed Asghar said as he bought a newspaper supplement announcing the
decision in Sharif's hometown, Lahore. ``This is the city of Nawaz Sharif
and look around. No one is protesting.''
Sharif was given a life sentence on each count, with the sentences to run
concurrently. In Pakistan a life sentence is 25 years, and there is a chance
for earlier parole.
The judge also ordered Sharif's property confiscated. In addition, he is to
pay $37,000 compensation to the passengers and crew of the Pakistan
International Airlines aircraft and $18,500 in fines.
As the verdict and sentence were announced, Sharif stood and looked grim.
His relatives, who had been reading the Koran, jumped up and shouted: ``Long
live Nawaz Sharif!'' Several women wept and others beat their chests.
``It is a personal vendetta,'' said Sharif's wife, Khulsoom, accusing the
army chief of targeting her husband. ``Nawaz Sharif's morale is high. I
believe God will help us.''
The verdicts followed a more than two-month-long trial that drew criticism
from some observers. Sharif was prevented from making a public statement at
the trial, and one of his lawyers was gunned down last month. Any link
between the killing and the trial remains unproven.
Javed Jabbar, a Musharraf adviser, called the trial fair.
``This bizarre act needed this kind of special trial. This trial would have
been held with any person who would have done this kind of thing,'' Jabbar
said.
Britain, though, said it was ``disturbed'' by parts of the proceedings. And
the head of the Commonwealth said he was ``dismayed by the severity of the
sentence.''
``This was a trial conducted against an elected prime minister,
unconstitutionally overthrown, under a regime whose legitimacy has not been
recognized by the Commonwealth,'' Secretary-General Don McKinnon said. ``The
credibility of the Pakistani regime in the eyes of the world will not be
enhanced by this judgment.''
Four activists of Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League party tried to demonstrate
outside the courthouse and were arrested, eyewitnesses said. They screamed
anti-army slogans and declared Sharif their prime minister as they were
being led away by police.
Sharif, 51, was arrested during the coup. Authorities said he tried to kill
Musharraf by not letting his plane land.
The plane was allowed to touch down after the army gained control, but by
then it had barely seven minutes of fuel left. There were 198 people aboard,
including 60 children from American schools in Pakistan, attended by
children of U.S. diplomats.
The prosecution argued for the death penalty, saying the anti-terrorist
courts - set up by Sharif's administration to hand out quick justice - are
required by law to give the maximum punishment for any conviction. But Judge
Rehmetullah Hussein Jaffri said Sharif committed his offense in the heat of
the moment and the maximum punishment should be reserved for worse cases.
During a five-hour visit to Pakistan on March 25, President Clinton asked
Musharraf to spare Sharif's life. Musharraf said the decision was up to the
courts. The Clinton administration also has urged Musharraf to move toward
democracy by setting a date for elections, but Musharraf has said reform is
needed before new elections can be held.
Sharif was elected in 1997 with a two-thirds majority, but his government
quickly became embroiled in controversy. He eventually dismissed the Supreme
Court's chief justice, prompting the president to resign.
``He was a bad ruler,'' said Sheikh Aftab, 24, who was planning to celebrate
the conviction. ``He was corrupt and amassed wealth for himself and his
family instead of doing something for the poor.''
Officials of Sharif's party said they will not ask their supporters to
protest the verdict. One party member in the federal capital of Islamabad
said he was relieved by the outcome.
``Now there is a chance that he might come out of jail someday,'' Raja Afzal
said. ``We don't have to worry about his life anymore.''
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(AP)
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