Apex court hears Sharif's appeal in plane hijacking case

Islamabad: Pakistan's top court yesterday took up and accepted for regular hearing an appeal filed by former premier Nawaz Sharif in the historically significant plane hijacking case which was the root cause behind the October 12, 1999 military coup in the country.

The outcome of the case will decide whether the two time former premier was guilty of plane hijacking, and still eligible to contest elections.

Opposition parties opposing General Musharraf's eight years military rule, have always dismissed punishment awarded to Sharif by the court judges who had taken oath under General Musharraf's military rule and laws.

Sharif, prime minister at that time, was accused by the then military chief General Pervez Musharraf of hijacking the Islamabad-bound plane of national airliner carrying the general and his wife enroute from Srilanka.

Country's top generals staged a military coup as soon as the news of plane diversion and dismissal of General Musharraf spread. Sharif's government was dismissed and he was put behind bars while the country's constitution was also suspended.

Later on, Sharif was awarded life imprisonment in the case by a high court, but was given presidential pardon after a deal of his 10 years exile to Saudi Arabia was brokered.

Sharif was disqualified from contesting elections in December last by a high court and a supreme court bench had rejected his appeal last February.

Sharif didn't accept verdict of the apex court bench accusing it of bias as it comprised judges who took oath under the emergency laws of November 2, 2007 which also sent packing chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and 60 plus judges of the supreme court and high court.