Blow for Sharif lawyers

Nawaz Sharif is facing a life sentence

A court in Pakistan has allowed prosecution lawyers to go ahead with an appeal to change the life sentence imposed on former premier Nawaz Sharif to death sentence.

The deposed premier was given a life sentence after being found guilty on charges of hijacking and terrorism by a special anti-terrorist last month.

Judges in the Sindh High Court - where the appeal process is underway - also ruled against the defence in petitions filed on behalf of five co-accused with Mr Sharif.

They include his brother Shahbaz.

Turned down

Mr Sharif's lawyers had argued that the appeal filed by the prosecution was invalid because it had not come from the country's military government.

Defence lawyersmay appeal to a higher court

But the judges ruled that their objections were "ill-founded" and their petitions dismissed.

Defence lawyers now say they may appeal to the Supreme Court.

"We just have to analyse the order before going to the superior court," Mr Sharif's lawyer, Azizullah Shaikh, said.

Appeals by the prosecution against six of Mr Sharif's co-defendants - who have all been acquitted - were also dismissed.

The prosecution has challenged their acquittal and is seeking the death penalty for them.

Coup

Mr Sharif has been shuttling between a Karachi prison and a detention centre at Attock Fort, in the northern province of Punjab, where he is on trial in a separate corruption case.

The charges in the terrorism case relate to the events leading up to last October's military coup, when a commercial aircraft carrying Pakistan's present military ruler, General Pervez Musharraf, was denied permission to land at Karachi.

Mr Sharif was accused of issuing the order, allegedly to prevent General Musharraf - whom he had sacked as army chief earlier in the day - from returning to Pakistan.