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ATC begins hearing in plane hijacking case

KARACHI: The trial of deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif and six others began here on Wednesday at ATC-1 headed by Judge Rehmat Hussain Jaffery in the October 12 PIA plane hijacking case.

Accused Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif, Syed Ghous Ali Shah, Saifur Rehman, Rana Maqbool Ahmed, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Saeed Mehdi were present in the court.

The court turned down a request made by defence counsel Ejaz Batalvi for staying the court proceedings till such time the Supreme Court gives its verdict on a petition which challenges the toppling of the government of Nawaz Sharif.

After hearing the arguments from both the defence and prosecution sides, the judge dismissed the plea.

Earlier, the court recorded the statement of the lone approver in the case Aminullah Choudhry, CAA ex-DG.

The approver directly accused the former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, PIA ex-chairman Shahid Khaqan Abbasi for ordering him to divert the PIA flight PK-805 from Colombo with Chief of Army Staff General Pervez Musharraf and 208 other passengers on board to some other destination in Middle East. APP