What about the plane hijacking by Musharraf, asks Sharif's wife

What about the plane hijacking by Musharraf, asks Sharif's wife
BHAVNA VIJ

LAHORE, MAY 5: The man who was prime minister of Pakistan till seven months ago does not even have access to a proper toilet. Kulsoom Sharif, who puts up a brave front for the world, gets a lump in her throat as she talks about the plight of her husband in Landi jail near Karachi.

``There is only one hard bed in the small windowless cell. It is dark and hot since there is no electricity most of the time. There are thousands of mosquitoes there. He is the only person in the entire barracks. He cannot talk to or even see any other person,'' she says in an exclusive interview with the The Indian Express.

All her pleas to provide some kind of amenities to her husband have been turned down. ``The only thing they have agreed to is home food which is given to him only after it becomes cold or stale,'' she says. After protracted legal fight, she is now also allowed to meet him twice a week for half-an-hour. ``But always in the presence of two policemen and one lady constable. Sometimes, my daughters also come with me,'' she says.

Kulsoom was forced into public life after her husband's imprisonment. ``I am neither a politician nor a public figure. I have jumped between only to fight for my husband and get him justice,'' she says. She keeps shuttling between Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad and other places in Pakistan to garner support for the deposed prime minister.

Kulsoom says that her husband spends his time writing letters. ``He gets a sackful of letters from his supporters and people of Pakistan. He makes it a point to reply to each and every letter personally. He sits through the night writing letters in candlelight. All the letters are first read and censored by the prison officials and only then handed over to me for posting,'' she says. Rest of the time, Sharif prays.

Kulsoom is also concerned about her son Hussain. ``The boy was neither in politics nor was he involved in any business. His name is not there in any case. Yet he was put in prison. He was tortured. He was made to stand outside braving the icy winds of Muree without any warm clothes. He was not given even a drop of water for two days. But then I cannot complain because there are other innocents in the same situation,'' she says.

A reluctant public figure, Kulsoom makes political statements with relative ease. ``Nawaz Sharif is a peace-loving man and favoured friendly relations with India. The relations between the two countries had vastly improved. Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee sat in the bus, came to Minar-e-Pakistan and extended a hand of friendship. Kashmir issue would have been solved by talks. My husband agreed to withdraw troops from Kargil only because that was the only way. And now Musharraf is begging India to talk, willing to do so even in a third country, but India has been disdainfully rejecting all offers. Pakistan is isolated and has no friend in the world,'' she says.

Her anger rises as she talks about the case against Sharif. ``Everybody knows it is a false case. What would have my husband gained by hijacking the plane? And what about the plane hijacking by Musharraf,'' she asks. Asked if she was referring to the hijacking of Indian plane IC 814 in December, she becomes evasive. ``When the hijacked Indian plane was at Lahore, Musharraf ordered many other planes including one Philipines plane to be diverted. If diversion of plane is hijacking, even Musharraf is guilty of that,'' she clarifies.

Kulsoom says she will continue to fight. ``Insha Allah, the world will know one day that my husband is not corrupt and is a man walking on the path shown by God,'' she adds.