The ongoing trial against ousted premier Nawaz Sharif received a jolt last week when one of his senior lawyers was shot dead in broad daylight by three unidentified gunmen in the heart of Karachi. Iqbal Radh, lawyer and a Sharif family friend, was sitting in his office when the assailants, armed with automatic rifles, barged in and killed him and two others, including the son of a retired high court judge.
The murder occurred at a time when the trial was about to conclude and a week after Sharif expressed full faith in the judge. "It appears to be a conspiracy against fair trial as acknowledged by the world media," said Raja Qureshi, chief public prosecutor and advocate general of Sindh province.
Justice minister Aziz A. Munshi believes the killings could have been motivated by three factors: "First, to create obstacles to Bill Clinton's visit to Pakistan. The message could be that he shouldn't visit a terrorism-hit Pakistan. Second, to cause hindrances in the trial against Sharif in Karachi. Or, a hostile country is trying to brand Pakistan a terrorist state in an organised campaign."
Despite this official position, the incident itself remained a mystery for police investigators. But Sharif blamed the government. "It's meant to quieten the voice of the brave." The killing had Sharif in a spot as his whole defence team boycotted the trial, saying they were insecure and that Karachi was too dangerous. They returned to the court only on Sharif's request after the government assured them foolproof security.
The trial, in its final stages, was postponed for three days and the final arguments are expected to be concluded by March 24. The verdict is not likely before Clinton's March 25 visit. Sharif, his brother Shahbaz and five others have been charged with hijacking and with conspiracy to create obstacles in the landing of Airbus flight PK-805, carrying 198 passengers including army chief Gen Pervez Musharraf, on October 12 last year.
The general sacked Sharif in a coup the same night, accusing him of creating divisions in the armed forces. Sharif denies the charges and blames Musharraf for "hijacking his elected government". If found guilty, Sharif, 52, can be awarded capital punishment but will have a right to appeal.
The chief public prosecutor is sanguine. "We've given ample evidence against the accused, including 27 witnesses," Qureshi told Outlook. Senior defence counsel Khwaja Sultan refutes this, "There's no evidence. The fir was delayed for a month, almost all the witnesses are government employees, and many of them are still in custody."
Sensing the outcome and given the divisions in the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) over launching a campaign against the military rule, Sharif's wife Kulsoom Nawaz has started a nationwide campaign for the release of her husband and son Hussain Nawaz. She's vocal in her speeches and is not afraid of blaming army generals for conspiring against Sharif. "I demand a judicial body like the Hamoodur Rehman Commission (which investigated the '71 war) to probe the role of some army generals against the elected government," she said recently in an emotional speech at Hyderabad, 100 km from Karachi.
A case of high treason has been registered against her and other party leaders. She hasn't yet been arrested but the Sindh governor on March 15 hinted at the detention of some PML leaders. Sources do not rule out the possibility of Kulsoom's arrest for her attack on Musharraf in a speech seeking a probe into the role of generals during the Kargil crisis.
Kulsoom described the government's sudden decision to ban all rallies, public meetings, strikes and the like as an attempt to block her campaign. "They are now scared of people coming to my rallies," she said. The PML has planned a public meeting in Lahore on March 23, two days before Clinton's visit, though they apprehend disruptions.
Party leader Ejaz Shafi fears a massive crackdown on the party before the verdict is delivered in Sharif's trial. "They have not been able to arrest Iqbal Radh's killers but are using all their resources to prevent us from mobilising public opinion. We were expecting all this and more to come," said Sharif. Is that a sign of resigned fatalism or an indication of preparedness?
