The Hindu : International : Pakistan rejects U.S. demarche on Javed Hashmi trial

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Apr 17, 2004

International

International

Pakistan rejects U.S. demarche on Javed Hashmi trial

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, APRIL 16. Pakistan today rejected the demarche sent by the U.S. Embassy here on the trial of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader, Javed Hashmi.

Mr. Hashmi was sentenced to 23 years of imprisonment by a sessions judge in Rawalpindi last week on charges of defaming the army and instigating rebellion against the Pakistan President and Chief of the Army Staff, Pervez Musharraf.

The judgment was criticised by the Opposition as unfair and harsh. The Nawaz party has decided to appeal against it.

Following the concern expressed by the State Department spokesman, Richard Boucher, over the closed trial of Mr. Hashmi, the U.S. Embassy sent a demarche to the Pakistan Foreign Office, which did not go down well with the Government.

Political and diplomatic observers here feel that election year compulsions and criticism on the domestic front that the Bush administration was soft on the Musharraf regime could have influenced the U.S. action.

The Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman, Masood Khan, said: "The U.S. statement is not only unwarranted and misplaced, but is tantamount to interference in the internal affairs and the judicial process of Pakistan." Pakistan's protest had been conveyed to the U.S. Embassy, he added.

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