Pakistan opposition leader release due By ZIA KHAN, Associated Press Writer

Pakistan opposition leader release due By ZIA KHAN, Associated Press Writer
39 minutes ago



LAHORE, Pakistan - Supporters of a top Pakistani opposition leader gathered outside a prison Saturday to wait for his release on bail from a 23-year sentence for inciting army mutiny against military President Gen. Pervez Musharraf.

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Javed Hashmi's release strengthens the hand of pro-democracy forces who now pose a serious challenge to a weakened Musharraf as Pakistan heads toward crucial elections and the president seeks a new five-year term.

Hasmi, the acting president of the party of exiled former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, was imprisoned in 2004 on treason and mutiny charges that rights and opposition groups alleged were politically motivated.

The Supreme Court granted Hashmi bail of $800 on Friday while it considers his application for the case to be reviewed.

He was expected to be freed from the Kotlakhpat prison in Lahore on Saturday afternoon, said Hashmi's spokesman Nasi Iqbal. Scores of supporters were gathering to greet him.

Hashmi's release also demonstrates the growing clout of recently reinstated Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry, who was suspended by Musharraf in March but then cleared of charges of misconduct amid a groundswell of opposition to military rule.

Chaudhry headed the three-judge panel that ordered Hashmi's release.

Musharraf, who toppled Sharif in a bloodless coup in 1999 and promised to restore democracy, has been badly weakened by his failed attempt to oust Chaudhry. He also faces a tide of Islamic militant violence and U.S. demands for tougher action against al-Qaida sanctuaries along the Afghan border.

"The court is reasserting its independence and trying to bring the rule of law," said political analyst Talat Masood. "You can see President Musharraf's power is diminishing. They (the government) will have to play by the rules now and not by whims."

Hashmi was sentenced in a closed court after circulating a letter, supposedly from Pakistani soldiers, criticizing Musharraf for making Pakistan a U.S. ally in the war in Afghanistan, and praising parliament for opposing a U.S. request for Pakistan to send troops to Iraq.

The letter was written on military stationery, but was unsigned. The government says it was forged.

The ruling on Hashmi could further encourage Sharif to attempt a return to Pakistan from exile in Saudi Arabia.

Sharif and his brother, Shahbaz Sharif, appealed Thursday to the Supreme Court to be allowed to return to contest parliamentary elections due later this year.

The court has yet to begin hearing the appeal, but Musharraf has said he would block attempts by the two brothers to return. Musharraf has said the two brothers were allowed to go into exile in Saudi Arabia as part of a deal in which they pledged not to return home for 10 years. Sharif has denied making any deal.