Nawaz Sharif sentenced to life

The Anti-Terrorism Court judge Rahmatullah Jaffri, however, acquitted Sharif’s brother Shahbaz and five others of all charges. The court, which acquitted 52-year-old Sharif of kidnapping and attempted murder charges, ordered him to pay a compensation of Rs 20 lakh to the 198 passengers and crew of the PIA flight and fined him an additional Rs 10 lakh.

The judge, in his verdict delivered amidst tight security in a packed courtroom where Sharif’s wife Kulsoom and relatives of other accused were present, observed that Sharif’s order not to allow the plane to land was illegal and amounted to hijacking.

"The conspiracy started when Nawaz Sharif ordered Aminullah Chaudhry (former Civil Aviation Chief, who turned approver) to stop the plane from landing. Until then the control tower was working lawfully, but after the illegal order to prevent the plane from landing it became a hijacking," the judge said.

The judge said that if Sharif failed to pay the fine, he would undergo a further four-year imprisonment. As Jaffri read out the verdict, Sharif’s family members, including his wife Kulsoom, wept and shouted, "Long live Nawaz Sharif." Sharif, who heard the verdict with a grim face, told his family members in the courtroom later to have faith in God and hoped that things would be alright.

"God willing, we will come out this difficult time," Sharif’s nephew Suleman Shahbaz quoted him as saying. US President Bill Clinton, during his brief stopover in Islamabad, had personally urged Gen Musharraf to spare Sharif’s life. Gen Musharraf had recently indicated that he might spare Sharif’s life if the court sentenced him to be hanged.

Sharif’s lawyer Khawaja Sultan Ahmad said that he would appeal against the verdict in the Sindh High Court within the stipulated seven days’ time. Chief Public Prosecutor Raja Qureshi, who had demanded death penalty, said he would also appeal the High Court against the lesser punishment of life imprisonment, which is 25 years in jail. Asked if he was satisfied with the verdict, Ahmad told PTI

, "I am satisfied to the extent we could not expect more … we expected a clean acquital. Because in the given circumstances, six out of seven are not found guilty. It’s very difficult to convict the seventh. Still it is a decision of convenience.

Qureshi said he would be filing a appeal after going through the 157-page judgment within the stipulated period.