ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan's new military regime led by Gen. Pervez Musharraf is eager to demonstrate that its decision to put former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on trial on charges of attempted murder and kidnapping is not necessarily driven by malicious intent. If convicted, Sharif could be sentenced to life imprisonment or the death penalty.
Some of Sharif's supporters believe his life could be in danger, if history is a reliable guide. In 1977, the late Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was arrested in a military coup led by Gen. Zia ul Haq, the former military ruler, and hanged two years later after a controversial trial in which he was charged with ordering the killing of a political foe.
However, Pakistan's new rulers are quick to point out that they are neither vindictive men nor will history necessarily be repeated. Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar is aware of the comparisons between the past and the present. He is therefore quick to alleviate anxieties by explaining, "We have seen the hanging of a prime minister (Bhutto) and the possibility of that happening again horrifies people. But people are leaping to a conclusion prematurely."