The Hindu : 'Nawaz Sharif was kept in dingy cell'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Sep 24, 2002

International

International

'Nawaz Sharif was kept in dingy cell'

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD SEPT.23. The family of the exiled former Pakistan Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, today released the videotapes depicting the "appalling" conditions of a prison cell in which Mr. Sharif was lodged after the President, Pervez Musharraf, ousted him in a military coup in October 1999.

The video, excerpts of which appeared on the BBC, shows Mr. Sharif pensively gazing out of his prison cell that had a small bed and a chair and a poorly kept attached toilet. Mr. Sharif's son, Hasan Nawaz, told the BBC in an interview that the tapes, which were secretly shot, reflected the "true colours of the military Government''.

Mr. Hasan said that a camera secretly smuggled to the cell during his confinement took the video pictures. "In some of the pictures the footage is shocking'', he said.

He said that contrary to assurances given by Gen. Musharraf that Mr. Sharif was taken care of and provided adequate facilities, the deposed Prime Minister was kept in a dingy cell even before he was formally charged with hijacking the plane that carried Gen. Musharraf from Colombo.

Asked why he released the pictures ahead of the polls, Mr. Hasan said he just got the tapes. "We have obtained the tapes through discreet sources. I am not going to name those sources. But these pictures should be shown to the people to know what happened to their elected Prime Minister,'' he said.

``It is about right time now, when we are heading for the most controversial elections in Pakistan. When the people of Pakistan would see how their elected Prime Minister was treated, I think they have reasonable doubts that about the claims made by Gen. Musharraf and his team to hold free and fair elections,'' he said.

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