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Pakistan court quashes Sharif hijacking conviction
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Reuters - Saturday, July 18
By Augustine Anthony
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ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's Supreme Court quashed a nine-year-old hijacking conviction against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday, clearing at least one hurdle to him eventually seeking power.
"The conviction and sentence of the appellant are set aside and he is acquitted," the court order said following Sharif's appeal.
Having been overthrown by the army in 1999, 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 General Pervez Musharraf to power.
Sharif was accused of preventing an airliner carrying 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 court order said.
An earlier court decision gave Sharif clearance to contest for elected office, but the latest ruling appeared 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 by Sharif before then to bring down President Asif Ali Zardari, a pro-West leader who speaks out against the threat of Islamist militancy.
Sharif, whose appeal lies with the conservative, religious mainstream, has emerged as the most popular politician in Pakistan, while Zardari's ratings are almost as low as Musharraf had been during his final year.
Zardari visited 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 Sharif has made clear his mistrust of Zardari.
Sharif and 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 Sharif won Punjab, the most influential of Pakistan's four provinces.
Zardari persuaded Sharif to join the coalition, but there was a swift and bitter split that worsened in February this year, when Sharif's party was removed from power in Punjab after a court ruling.
Sharif responded by setting off at the head of a mass protest from Lahore to Islamabad, to champion the cause of a Supreme Court chief justice who was dismissed by Musharraf and who Zardari had resisted reinstating despite previous promises.
Zardari caved in by restoring the judge and the Punjab government, as political insiders said Sharif's street power threatened to end his presidency.
 
 
 
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