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Sharief sees Indo-Pak war clouds: AFP

Deposed Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharief, in a statement handed out by his lawyers, criticised the military regime for detaining him at a time of worsening relations with arch-rival India.

"Presently the very existence of this country is in danger," Sharief said. "War clouds are hovering over us and in such circumstances the elected prime minister of the country has been put behind bars and has been alleged to be a terrorist, hijacker, jail breaker and the one waging war against his own country," Sharief said.

The case against Sharief and six others has been held back by a string of legal and procedural delays.

Prosecutors have 53 witnesses ready to give evidence and the trial may last six to eight weeks, Chief Public Prosecutor Raja Qureshi said.

The prosecution's star witness is expected to be former Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority chief Aminullah Chaudhary who was originally accused with Sharief but agreed to give evidence against him in return for a pardon.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Supreme Court Chief Justice Saeed uz Zaman Siddiqui was replaced yesterday after refusing to swear a new oath to the military regime, court officials said.

Five other judges at the Supreme Court also refused to swear the new oath, said the officials who declined to be named.

A new chief justice, Irshad Hassan Khan has been appointed, the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan said.

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