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Sharief's daughter asks military regime for mercy

Deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharief's daughter, Mariam, has appealed to the military regime in Pakistan to spare her father's life even if he is found guilty of charges made against him.

Speaking to reporters in Karachi, she said her father was innocent and had done nothing to deserve the death sentence, the British Broadcasting Corporation reported.

She urged human rights organisations to monitor the proceedings of the case which would be heard in an anti-terrorism court.

Sharief is faced with charges of hijacking and attempt to murder which carry the death sentence.

Mariam said her father's health was fast deteriorating but he continued to be in high spirits.

In an interview with CNN, Sharief's wife, Kulsoom, said her husband had lost 20-30 pounds in detention. She said she had complete faith in the judiciary and was confident that her husband would come out of the trial unscathed. ''Life and death are in the hands of Allah and no general can take it away,'' she said.

According to a Jang report, meanwhile, the detained former chief minister of Punjab and brother of Nawaz Sharief, Shahbaz Sharief, was allowed to briefly speak to his family on Tuesday.

After the six-minute telephonic contact, his son Hamza told Jang that his father appeared to be alright but like his elder brother, seemed to be in solitary confinement unaware of the developments outside.

''The former CM was very surprised to hear that Sharief was being tried on hijacking charges,'' Hamza told the newspaper. He is not being provided with newspapers and obviously has no access to a television or radio, he said.

No charges have yet been brought against the former chief minister who is in protective custody since the October 12 military coup. Warrants for his arrest have been issued by the accountability bureau but have not been executed.

UNI

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