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| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| Pakistan jails opposition leader |
| 2004-04-12 |
| A court in Pakistan has found a prominent opposition leader guilty of inciting mutiny in the armed forces. Javed Hashmi, president of the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy, was given seven prison terms totalling 23 years. Mr Hashmi, who is expected to appeal, will serve a maximum of seven years as the sentences will run concurrently. The ARD is an alliance of Benazir Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party and nawaz Shariff’s Pakistan Muslim League. Since they are both in exile, he was their main representative. He was arrested last year after distributing a letter, allegedly written by army officers, which was critical of President Pervez Musharraf. Accusing him of being a ’slave to the Americans’ and the like. Of course he was accused of forging the letter, since no one in the Pak Army could have those opinions. |
| Posted by:Paul Moloney |