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Sharief 'secretly moved' to Karachi

Ousted Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharief was secretly moved to the port city of Karachi today in preparation for a court appearance, a military source said.

''Yes, all I can tell you is that he has been brought to Karachi in a military aircraft,'' the source said.

There has been speculation about Sharief's whereabouts and when he would be brought before a court, which the military source said may now happen today.

A complaint accusing Sharief and four others of criminal conspiracy, hijacking -- which carries a maximum punishment of death -- kidnapping and attempted murder was filed last week.

The complaint was the first step in the legal process, but Sharief has not been seen in public even though the other four have already been formally charged and brought before a court so they could be handed over to the police for interrogation.

Sharief has been detained at a secret place, thought to be near Islamabad, since he was thrown out of office in a bloodless coup on October 12.

The charges were connected to an alleged attempt to divert a plane bringing military chief General Pervez Musharraf to Karachi from Sri Lanka. Hours later General Musharraf overthrew Sharief.

Earlier yesterday, Pakistan's military rulers linked Sharief to corrupt practices as it launched a nationwide sweep to back up its anti-corruption campaign.

The National Accountability Bureau said Sharief was among several people either wanted as a defaulter or in an accountability case.

But the Bureau, set up last month to carry out the anti-corruption campaign, did not make any specific charges.

Reuters

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