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Verdict in Nawaz Sharief case likely on April 6

Haris Darvesh in Karachi

Pakistan's Anti-Terrorism Court on Wednesday heard the arguments of lawyers of the deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharief, and is expected to announce its verdict on April 6, 2000.

The former prime minister, his brother Shahbaz and four aides -- Saifur Rehman, former inspector general police Rana Maqbool Ahmad, former adviser on Sindh province affairs Ghous Ali Shah and Iqbal Mehdi - are accused in conspiracy and hijacking cases.

They are charged with trying to prevent the jetliner, a Pakistan International Airlines flight from Colombo, carrying Gen Musharraf, from landing in Karachi on October 12, the day the latter seized power in a coup.

The army later took control of the airport, allowing the plane to land safely.

If convicted, Sharief could face death penalty or a long prison term and a 21-year ban on running for public office, lawyers and analysts said.

Sharief told reporters that he was innocent and did not hatch any conspiracy against Gen Pervez Musharraf. ''I am targeted, the trial is in vindictive in nature and I am innocent,'' the ex-premier told reporters in the court premises.

''I have full faith and I will announce the verdict on the plane case by April 6,'' supervising judge of the Anti-Terrorism Court Rehmat Hussain Jaffery said on Wednesday.

The date is significant in Pakistan: it was on April 4, 1979, that former prime minister Z A Bhutto was hanged by the military regime of Zia-ul Haq.

Defence lawyers contended before the court that the case against Sharief and the co-accused was "fabricated" to justify the October coup, which they termed illegal.

''It is a clear mutiny. The army defied the prime minister's order. This case was fabricated only to justify the illegal and unconstitutional action against an elected government,'' lawyer Haleem Pirzada said.

Sharief's lawyer Khawaja Sultan had concluded his arguments Monday, and called on the court to acquit his client and the other accused as he said the prosecution had "miserably failed" to prove its case.

Ironically, Sharief himself had established Anti-Terrorism Court in 1997 during his second term as premier. The court has punished over 100 people, mainly belonging to the ethnic Muttehdia Qaumi Movement, whose leader Altaf Hussain has been in self-exile in London.

Iqbal Raad, one of the key lawyers representing Sharief in the case, and his two aides were shot dead on March 10. The killers are still at large and nobody has claimed responsibility for the murders.

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