Plea to halt criminal trial against Sharif rejected

Justice Siddiqui directed that the matter for constitution of a larger bench be brought to his notice after January 17, by which time Attorney General Aziz Munshi was asked to submit a reply on behalf of the federation of Pakistan and other respondents.

The court rejected a plea by PML leader Zafar Ali Shah to stop criminal proceedings against Sharif in an anti-terrorism court in Karachi. The "Prime Minister is facing a criminal trial and it must bestopped till January 17," Shah said, adding the outcome of the petitions before the apex court would decide the course of everything.

At this point a fellow judge, Nasir Aslam Zahid, made an obvious reference to the establishment of the anti-terrorism court by Sharif by asking Shah as to who had set up the court in which the deposed premier was being tried.

The PML, in its petition, termed the army action "illegal and unconstitutional" and sought direction from the court to set aside the overthrow of Sharif’s government.

Meanwhile, the deposed premier’s lawyer has expressed apprehension that his chances of getting justice were very bleak’ in the special court constituted after amendment of the anti-terrorist act by the military regime.“They are changing the law at the eleventh hour… The changes are .. Being brought about as the government wants to refer the case to handpicked judges and in such a situation the chances of a just trial are very bleak," Sharif’s counsel Iqbal Raad told BBC, Englishdaily The News reported today.

Senior Pakistan Muslim League leader and member of its legal committee Syed Zafar Ali Shah also said the army regime through the recent amendment wanted a decision of its choice in the case.