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.'' - (AP) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------