World | Pakistan
Sharif aide alleges political motives
Pakistani prosecutors said yesterday they are pressing ahead with corruption cases against opposition leader Nawaz Sharif, a move his lawyer called politically motivated as the presidential race grew increasingly testy.
- Agencies
- Published: 23:15 September 2, 2008
- Image Credit: EPA
- Sharif says the corruption charges, filed against him after he was overthrown in 1999, were politically motivated.
Islamabad: Pakistani prosecutors said yesterday they are pressing ahead with corruption cases against opposition leader Nawaz Sharif, a move his lawyer called politically motivated as the presidential race grew increasingly testy.
Asif Ali Zardari, the head of the main ruling party and widower of slain ex-premier Benazir Bhutto, is expected to easily capture enough lawmakers' votes on Saturday.
Sharif's party is fielding a retired judge as its candidate. The election and surrounding political manoeuvring are being watched carefully by the US, which considers Pakistan's cooperation critical in the war on terror.
In mid-August, longtime US ally Pervez Musharraf was forced to quit the presidency by a ruling coalition that included Sharif's party. Sharif switched to the opposition after disputes with Zardari over who should succeed Musharraf and how to restore judges sacked last year.
Both Zardari and Sharif have been saddled with corruption allegations over the years, but Zardari has seen cases against him vanish in recent months, thanks in large part to a deal struck with Musharraf to pave the way for Bhutto's return to the country.
Zulfiqar Ahmad Bhutto, a top prosecutor with the National Accountability Bureau, confirmed yesterday that it moved late last month to challenge a court decision to indefinitely adjourn a set of cases against Sharif, also a former prime minister.
Accusations
The cases stretch back years, and their accusations against Sharif include money laundering, loan defaults and accumulation of wealth beyond his known sources of income.
"It appears to be aimed at using the accountability courts against Nawaz Sharif," said the opposition leader's lawyer, Khwaja Haris. "It appears to be used for political ends." Sharif aide Ahsan Iqbal said pursuing the cases smacked of "political bankruptcy". "Sometimes, if you cannot get things done politically, then you try to blackmail the opposition," he told Dawn News TV. "I would still hope that the ruling party would refrain from such tactics."
Asked about the cases, Information Minister Sherry Rahman said Zardari's party "will not pursue the politics of revenge".
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, also of Zardari's party, said the accountability bureau, which the new government has vowed to reform, "has no value".
Zardari has garnered the support of several political factions and parties in recent days, making him a virtual lock for the presidency. His party aides are calling him the "consensus candidate", even though Sharif's party and the main pro-Musharraf block oppose him.
Zardari took over the leadership of the Pakistan Peoples Party after his wife's assassination in December. That party, along with Sharif's, soundly defeated Musharraf's allies in February parliamentary elections, forming a fragile coalition that has come undone.
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