Pakistan Supreme Court orders Hashmi's release

Islamabad, Aug 3 (UNI) Pakistan's Supreme Court today ordered release of a top opposition leader and vice President of Pakistan Muslim League (N) Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, who was serving 23 year jail term for defaming the armed forces.

A three-member bench headed by recently reinstated Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, ordered Hashmi's release on surity bonds worth 50,000 rupees.

Hashmi had been sentenced 23 years in prison in 2004, months after his arrest for bringing army into disrepute. He had spoken of dissatisfaction within the armed forces during a press conference in October 2003, only to be arrested, tried inside the jail and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Pakistan Muslim League (N) has welcomed the court's order and termed it a victory of democratic forces.

"It is a victory for democracy and people, who want free and fair elections in the country," secretary information PML(N) Siddiqueul Farooque said.

Meanwhile, private news channel Geo TV reported that the surity bonds for release of Javed Hashmi from the Lahore Kot Lakhpat Jail could not be deposited today and it would now be managed tomorrow, in compliance with the Supreme Court order.

Following a meeting with Javed Hashmi in Kot Lakhpat Jail, ML-N Punjab President, Zulfiquar Khosa told reporters today that "We couldn't deposit the surity bonds and Hashmi's release is now expected till tomorrow evening".

He said hundreds of ML-N leaders and workers would amass outside Kot Lakhpat Jail to welcome Hashmi. He will be taken in a big procession, at first to the Muslim League House and later to the shrine of Muslim saint Daata Ganj Bakhsh.

Hashmi's release on his own appeal against the sentence came a day after exiled former Pakistani Prime Minister and PML (N) chief Nawaz Sharif filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking its verdict against his continued exile.

Sharif had gone into exile in December 2000 along with his family under an agreement between Pakistani and Royal Saudi governments, a year after he was ousted in a bloodless military coup in October 1999.

Military ruler Pervez Musharraf repeatedly said Sharif and his family members could not return to Pakistan for ten years under the deal, which had never been made public.

UNI