Provincial Attorney General Raja Qureshi told judge Rehmat Hussain Jaffri that three more accused had been arrested only early this week and "we need more time to assess all the witnesses and the evidence."

Nawaz Sharif's younger brother and former chief minister of Punjab Shahbaz Sharif, along with close Nawaz-aide Saifur Rahman and Principal Secretary Saeed Mehendi were included in the case on Thursday after their arrest a day earlier.

All the accused were produced in court as per an earlier deadline set by the judge to the prosecution to submit chargesheets.

Security around the court was tight as Sharif was driven back to jail in an armoured personnel carrier as Pakistani rangers formed a human shieldaround him as he left the courtroom.

Witnesses inside the court room said the deposed premier hugged Shahbaz with tears in his eyes as he urged his younger brother to be strong as "we are innocent. We have not done anything wrong. Keep your chin up."

The Karachi police had initiated the plane hijacking case on the basis of an FIR against five accused including Nawaz Sharif. The others were former adviser to Sharif on Sindh affairs Ghaus Ali Shah, former PIA chairman Shahid Khaqan Abassi, Director General of Civil Aviation Authority Ameenullah Choudhury and former IGP of Sindh Rana Maqbool.

Choudhury, however, has turned approver and has been granted pardon by the military leadership. He is now considered a star witness for the prosecution.

The FIR had alleged that the accused conspired to prevent landing of a PIA flight carrying Army Chief General Pervez Musharraf and 200 other passengers at Karachi airport on October 12. The plane was running short of fuel and this had endangered the lives of thoseon board, it alleged.

Meanwhile, the defence team for Sharif and the co-accused led by the country's top criminal lawyer Ejas Batalvi assisted by former law minister Khalid Anwar and Justice Aftab Farrukh is confident that it could "rip apart" the prosecution case by exposing "gaping holes" in the FIR and evidence.

The prosecution, led by little-known Karachi lawyer Ilyas Khan, is also confident that it has "solid evidence to send another Pakistani Prime Minister to the gallows."