By: Abdul Hadi, Karachi
The most important case against Nawaz Sharif under Pervez Musharraf was the plane conspiracy case in which the overthrowing general accused Nawaz Sharif of terrorism, conspiracy to assassinate, hijacking and kidnapping.
An anti-terrorism court in Karachi began hearing the case in January 2000, and in April 2000, Judge Rehmat Hussain Jafari convicted Nawaz Sharif of two of the four charges, hijacking and terrorism, and sentenced him to life in prison.
It may be recalled that in December 2000, at the request of the Saudi King and Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, Pervez Musharraf pardoned Nawaz Sharif and his family on the condition of ten years of exile.
Following the amnesty, most members of the Sharif family, including Nawaz Sharif, remained in Saudi Arabia until November 2007.
When Nawaz Sharif won the election for the second time in 1997 with a two-thirds majority, it seemed that his political opponents would not be able to do anything wrong, but only a short time after two and a half years. Musharraf overthrew him in October 1999.
After taking over the government, Pervez Musharraf registered various cases of corruption and terrorism against Nawaz Sharif.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) initiated a total of 28 cases against Nawaz Sharif in 1999 and early 2000, 15 of which were dismissed in the next four years due to insufficient evidence, while nine cases are still pending after 18 years.
The most important of the cases initiated by the NAB were the four references that were sent to the accountability court.
The first of the four, known as the Helicopter Case, was heard in the Attock Fort Accountability Court, and Judge Farrukh Latif ordered Nawaz Sharif not to pay taxes and assets on the helicopter purchased in 1993. 14 years imprisonment and fine of Rs. 20 million for non-disclosure imposed
This is the only case in which Nawaz Sharif has been convicted on corruption charges so far before today’s accountability court verdict.
Nawaz Sharif spent six months in prison for the sentence, but left Pakistan for Saudi Arabia in December 2000 after being pardoned by the then military chief General Pervez Musharraf.
