ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s supreme court quashed a nine-year-old hijacking conviction against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif yesterday, clearing at least one hurdle to his eventually seeking power.
“The conviction and sentence of the appellant are set aside and he is acquitted,” the court order said following Mr Sharif’s appeal.
Having been overthrown by the army in 1999, Mr Sharif was sentenced in 2000 to two life terms on charges of hijacking and terrorism related to the dramatic events surrounding the coup which brought Pervez Musharraf to power.
Mr Sharif was accused of preventing an aircraft carrying Mr Musharraf back from Sri Lanka from landing at Karachi, and it was only after the army intervened that the aircraft landed with a few minutes of fuel left at another airport. “Looking at the case from any angle, the charge of hijacking, attempt to hijack or terrorism does not stand established against the petitioner,” the order said.
An earlier court decision gave Mr Sharif clearance to contest for elected office, but the latest ruling appears to wipe the slate clean, though the former prime minister still needs a constitutional amendment to allow him to hold the premiership more than twice.
While no elections are scheduled before 2013, many political observers anticipate a power play from Mr Sharif before then to bring down president Asif Ali Zardari, a pro-West leader who speaks out against the threat of Islamist militancy.
Mr Sharif, whose appeal lies with the conservative, religious mainstream, has emerged as the most popular politician in Pakistan, while Mr Zardari’s ratings are almost as low as Mr Musharraf’s had been during his final year.
Mr Zardari visited Mr Sharif at his residence just outside the eastern city of Lahore and congratulated his rival. “The verdict further opened the door to Mian Nawaz Sharif for electoral politics, was a step in the direction of ensuring a level playing field for all political leaders and parties, and will strengthen the democratic process,” said a statement issued by the president.
It was their first meeting in eight months, and Mr Sharif has made clear his mistrust of Mr Zardari. Mr Sharif and Mr Zardari’s late wife, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, returned from exile in late 2007, marking the beginning of the end of almost a decade of military rule.
After Bhutto’s assassination her party won a general election in February 2008, but Mr Sharif won Punjab, the most influential of Pakistan’s four provinces. – (Reuters)