Death penalty sought for Sharif - BBC

The prosecution in the trial of the ousted Pakistani prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, has asked for the death penalty.

The court should award "the maximum punishment", to all those accused in the case, chief public prosecutor Raja Qureshi told the court in Karachi as he made his final arguments.

Nawaz Sharif, his brother Shahbaz and five others are facing charges that include hijacking, attempted murder and terrorism.

The charges stem from 12 October when a civilian plane carrying army chief General Pervez Musharraf and 198 passengers was briefly denied permission to land at Karachi.

The prosecutor read out excerpts from the testimony of several witnesses to argue that Mr Sharif and his co-accused had taken control of the commercial aircraft and endangered the lives of General Musharraf and those on board.

 "It is established that the accused were present in the process of hatching a conspiracy. They stand fully implicated in the commissioning of the crime," Mr Qureshi said.

He said the mandate of the anti-terrorism court in which Mr Sharif is being tried required that the maximum punishment be handed out, if the crime was established.

Only if the judge had sufficient cause could a lesser sentence be delivered, Mr Qureshi said.

Mr Sharif maintains his innocence and says the evidence against him is fabricated.

"Whether they ask for death or anything, I know, my heart knows and my God knows that my husband is innocent and he has not committed any crime," his wife, Kulsoom, told journalists outside the court.

The prosecution has two more days to present its argument.

The court then will hear the defence, which also has three days for its closing argument.

Monday's proceedings were the first after the shooting, earlier this month, of one of Mr Sharif's lawyers.

Executions in Pakistan in comparison to many other Asian countries are low, with death sentences being frequently challenged successfully.

But Mr Sharif's trial is being held in a court with special, often sweeping powers to deliver stiff punishment.