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Charges against Sharief put off by 4 days

Formal charges against ousted Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharief were delayed today for four days to give the government more time to appoint a new judge in the case.

Sharief, his brother and five others were scheduled to be formally charged with criminal conspiracy, attempted murder and hijacking, which can carry a death sentence. Anti-terrorism court judge Rehmat Hussain Jafri, a sessions court judge, ruled that the next court appearance would be on Wednesday, allowing the appointment of a new judge after the government changed the law and said only high court judges could preside over anti-terrorism courts.

Jafri turned down a prosecution appeal for a week-long adjournment made after the government notification late on Thursday of the change in procedure. The top prosecutor in the case, Raja Qureshi, advocate-general of Sindh province, said he expected the new judge to be named in two or three days.

''The government is expected to appoint a high court judge in consultation with the Sindh high court chief justice,'' Qureshi told the court. ''In light of the change in the law, the challan (charge sheet) will be submitted before a high court judge,'' Qureshi said.

The charges arise from an alleged attempt on October 12 to divert a plane bringing army chief General Pervez Musharraf to Karachi from Sri Lanka. Hours later, Gen Musharraf overthrew the prime minister in a bloodless coup.

Sharief complained to reporters during a break in the proceedings about the changes and about his treatment. ''I think we are being treated as convicted prisoners. We are clearly punished before the case is decided,'' he said. ''It's mala fide to change an existing law during...a case,'' Sharief said. ''This speaks of the vengeance and vindictiveness of the government.''

Security outside the courthouse in central Karachi was heavier than in the past, with police out in force and roads barricaded. Of the charges that Sharief, his brother Shahbaz, a former chief minister of Punjab province, and five former aides could face, the most serious is the hijacking because of the possible death penalty.

The adjournment until Wednesday also makes it possible for Sharief to appear before the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday. The court ordered him to appear in connection with a review of a ruling that had dismissed contempt charges against Sharief and members of his party. Those charges stem from an incident when the court was invaded by a mob in 1997 during Sharief's constitutional showdown with then chief justice Sajjad Ali Shah, who was removed from his post shortly afterwards.

Reuters

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