Defense lawyers boycott trial

Defense lawyers boycott trial

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP): An antiterrorist court gave deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif one day to contact his defense team, all of whom boycotted the trial on Monday to press their demand that the case be moved out of southern Karachi, where their colleague was slain last week.

Judge Rehmetullah Hussein Jaffri adjourned the hearing until Tuesday after Sharif told the court he had not spoken to his lawyers and only read of their decision to boycott his trial in the newspapers.

"I ready about the decision of my lawyers not to come to court in the newspapers," Sharif told the court. "I haven't had any contact with them and their decision has not been taken with my knowledge. We should be provided the facilities to contact our lawyers and find out what is in their minds."

The judge agreed and ordered the prosecution to let Sharif telephone his lawyers, most of whom live in the eastern Punjab capital of Lahore.