Pakistani Ex-Premier to Appeal Life Term

Lawyers for deposed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said Friday that they will appeal their client’s life sentence on hijacking charges early next week.

“According to the law, we have seven days to file the appeal,” said Khawaja Sultan, one of Sharif’s lawyers.

“But we expect we will file it with the Sindh High Court either on Monday or Tuesday.”

Sharif was sentenced Thursday to two life terms to run concurrently on charges of hijacking and terrorism.

He was acquitted of charges of attempted murder and kidnapping.

Sharif’s co-defendants, including his younger brother Shahbaz, were acquitted of all charges. Sharif pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The prosecution will appeal the acquittals as well as Sharif’s sentence, demanding instead the death penalty.

The Sindh provincial Atty. Gen. Raja Qureshi, who led the prosecution, says the court that tried Sharif is required by law to hand down the maximum punishment, which in the case of hijacking is death.

But Judge Rehmetullah Jaffri said Thursday that the lesser sentence was given because there are worse cases of hijacking.

Sharif is said to have shut down the airport in Karachi on Oct. 12 to prevent the plane returning army chief Gen. Pervez Musharraf from landing.

The army seized power amid the standoff to protest Sharif’s dismissal of Musharraf.