Supreme Court presses Pakistani premier on Sharif deportation

South Asia News

Sep 28, 2007, 6:40 GMT

Islamabad - As it prepared to rule on the legality of President Pervez Musharraf's re-election bid, the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Friday called on Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and other officials to explain their recent deportation of former premier Nawaz Sharif. Despite a previous court ruling that Sharif could return home unimpeded almost seven years in exile, the opposition leader was arrested and put on a plane to Saudi Arabia within five hours of landing in Islamabad on September 10. Lawyers for Sharif are seeking a contempt of court verdict against those who expelled him and guarantees for his future return. Aziz, Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao, and the head of Pakistan's PIA state airline were among 13 officials that Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry told to respond by October 17. Under Chaudhry, who Musharraf suspended for several months this year for alleged abuse of office, the Supreme Court has taken an emboldened stance in disputes involving the government. Since Chaudhry's reinstatement in July following mass protest rallies, the court ordered state intelligence services to produce scores of missing persons and cleared the way for Sharif's return. The former premier had vowed to lead opposition to military rule by Musharraf, the army general who ousted him in a 1999 coup and who will seek a further five-year mandate in a parliamentary vote scheduled for October 6. Musharraf has said he will step down as army chief after his anticipated re-election and before he is sworn in. But opposition parties and civil society groups lodged several petitions for his disqualification, citing constitutional restrictions on a person's election while holding two state offices. Musharraf filed his nomination papers with the Election Commission on Thursday, and a nine-member panel of senior judges was expected to rule on his eligibility during Friday. There has been growing speculation that if his candidacy is blocked the general will declare emergency rule and suspend the courts. © 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

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