20000329

Army intervention

saved country from

disaster: AG Sindh

RECORDER REPORT

KARACHI: Advocate General of Sindh Raja Qureshi said at a press briefing in his chamber at the Anti Terrorism Court on Tuesday that the timely intervention of the army on October 12, 1999, saved the country from a very serious disaster involving 198 people on board PK-805, including 58 American students, members of the crew and Chief of Army Staff General Pervez Musharraf.

He said it had been proved that the hijacked plane PK-805 had fuel endurance of only five to seven minutes. Any delay in action and landing of the plane could have caused to crash.

He said the prosecution had proved its case and placed on record strong evidence to that effect. It had also established the offences of conspiracy and hijacking against the accused.

Qureshi said prosecution had produced 28 witnesses and the trial was conducted in a transparent manner.

He said the defence counsel and foreign diplomats had expressed their satisfaction over the fairness of the trial and entire proceedings of the case.

Qureshi said that the prosecution had completed its arguments and the defence counsel, Khawaja Sultan Ahmed, appearing for Mian Nawaz Sharif, Mian Shahbaz Sharif, Saifur Rehman, Saeed Mehdi and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has completed his arguments. Arguments by the defence counsel Manzoor Ahmed Malik, for the other two accused Syed Ghous Ali Shah and Rana Maqbool Ahmed are in progress.