Police remand for Sharif

ISLAMABAD, Nov 19 (PTI) — Deposed Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, facing charges of treason, attempted murder and hijacking, was today remanded in police custody for three days by an anti-terrorist court in Karachi in his first public appearance since being ousted in a coup on October 12.

Wearing a traditional salwar and kameez with a dark blue waistcoat, Mr Sharif, who appeared healthy and unhurt, was brought by the police to the court in a heavily-guarded convoy after security personnel cleared the area.

Public Prosecutor Feroz Mahmood Bhatti said judge Rehmat Hussain Jaffrey remanded him in police custody and ordered the filing of formal charges against him by November 26.

If convicted for treason and hijacking, Mr Sharif could face death penalty.

While leaving the court after a brief hearing, Mr Sharif told reporters that he did not conspire any hijacking.

"Hijacking is done at gunpoint. In this case, the whole democratic government has been hijacked", Mr Sharif said while getting into an armoured personnel carrier after the court proceeding.

Asked about his health, he said, "I am okay."

Mr Bhatti did not give any explanation for the delay in the framing of charges against Mr Sharif, but said he would be produced in court on Monday after the expiry of the police remand.

Meanwhile, the Supreme court ordered Mr Sharif to appear before it on December 7 in a contempt case relating to the storming of the apex court on November 28, 1997, allegedly by leaders and supporters of his Pakistan Muslim League (PML) during a hearing in a contempt proceeding against him.

The two-time Premier has also been accused by the military regime of defaulting bank loans for which he would be tried under the newly-enacted anti-corruption law that provides for barring the guilty from holding public office for 21 years and imprisonment of up to 14 years.

Mr Sharif, who was formally arrested during the November 17-18 night after over a month-long detention since the toppling of his government by Army Chief Gen Pervez Musharraf, was flown to Karachi yesterday morning.

The military authorities handed him over to the Karachi police for producing him in the anti-terrorist court, which incidentally was set up by him.

Mr Sharif, along with four other top functionaries of the dethroned previous government, has been accused of endangering the lives of Army Chief Gen Musharraf and over 200 others by not allowing landing of their plane at Karachi when the aircraft had only 10 minutes of fuel left on October 12.

The army authorities have filed an FIR against Mr Sharif and the four others for treason, attempt to hijack a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane carrying Gen Musharraf and others from Colombo to Karachi on October 12.

The four other accused, who had already been produced in court and sent to police remand, also appeared in the court and were remanded back to police custody.

The four other accused are Mr Sharif’s former Adviser on Sindh Affairs Ghaus Ali Shah, former PIA Chairman Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, former Director General of Civil Aviation Aminullah Choudhury and former Inspector General of Police of Sindh Rana Maqbool.

Security was tight inside and around the court situated in a congested southern district locality of Karachi. Hundreds of police officers and personnel were deployed and armoured personnel carriers had taken positions on the road leading to the court when Mr Sharif and others were produced in the special court.