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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Court in Pakistan acquits Sharif | Court in Pakistan acquits Sharif |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| Pakistan's Supreme Court has acquitted opposition head Nawaz Sharif of hijacking charges, removing the final ban on him running for public office. | Pakistan's Supreme Court has acquitted opposition head Nawaz Sharif of hijacking charges, removing the final ban on him running for public office. |
| He was banned after being found guilty of hijacking then army chief General Pervez Musharraf's plane in 1999. | He was banned after being found guilty of hijacking then army chief General Pervez Musharraf's plane in 1999. |
| Mr Sharif was prime minster when he sacked Gen Musharraf. He was toppled in an army coup soon afterwards. | Mr Sharif was prime minster when he sacked Gen Musharraf. He was toppled in an army coup soon afterwards. |
| Mr Sharif was tried by the Sindh high court. He has always maintained that the charges were politically motivated. | Mr Sharif was tried by the Sindh high court. He has always maintained that the charges were politically motivated. |
| Mr Sharif's government had ordered officials to divert Gen Musharraf's plane away from Karachi and to a smaller city in Sindh. | Mr Sharif's government had ordered officials to divert Gen Musharraf's plane away from Karachi and to a smaller city in Sindh. |
| While he was imprisoned, Mr Sharif agreed to go into exile under a deal with Gen Musharraf who had taken over as Pakistan's president. | While he was imprisoned, Mr Sharif agreed to go into exile under a deal with Gen Musharraf who had taken over as Pakistan's president. |
| Mr Sharif ended his exile ahead of the 2008 elections but was prevented from contesting due to the court conviction. | Mr Sharif ended his exile ahead of the 2008 elections but was prevented from contesting due to the court conviction. |
| 'Set aside' | |
| In its ruling on Friday, the Supreme Court said there was no evidence to support the charge of hijacking and acquitted Mr Sharif. | In its ruling on Friday, the Supreme Court said there was no evidence to support the charge of hijacking and acquitted Mr Sharif. |
| "Looking at the case from any angle - the charge of hijacking, attempt to hijack or terrorism - does not stand established against the petitioner," news agency AFP quoted from the Supreme Court ruling. | |
| "The conviction and sentence of the appellant are set aside and he is acquitted," the order said. | |
| The "petitioner had neither used force nor ordered its use and undisputedly no deceitful means were used," it added. | |
| The five-judge court headed by Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani heard the petition in June, but initially reserved judgement. | |
| Mr Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) party has welcomed the order. | |
| "A judgement given by a kangaroo court nine years ago has been nullified by an independent and sovereign apex court in the light of the constitution, law and evidence on record," PML-N spokesman Siddique-ul-Farooq was quoted by AFP as saying. | |
| In May, the Supreme Court had overturned a ban that prevented Mr Sharif and his brother Shahbaz from running for political office. | |
| The ruling meant that Mr Sharif would be able to stand in elections due in 2013 or a parliamentary by-election before then. | |
| The former prime minister and leader of the PML-N party is one of the most popular politicians in the country. |