Karachi - The trial of the deposed Pakistani prime minister, Mr Nawaz Sharif, got under way yesterday after the judge refused to adjourn the case until a Supreme Court ruling on the legality of the coup that ousted him.
It began in a Karachi anti-terrorism court hours after the chief justice was replaced for refusing to swear allegiance to Gen Pervez Musharraf's military-led government, which seized control in a bloodless coup last October.
Mr Sharif and six others have pleaded not guilty to charges including attempted murder and hijacking, which could carry a death sentence. The trial was adjourned to today.