Nawaz Sharif, 2000 News

deposed prime minister of Pakistan, was convicted of hijacking and terrorism and sentenced to life in prison in April by an antiterrorism court. He was cleared of attempted murder and kidnapping. Sharif's six codefendants, including his brother, Shahbaz, were acquitted. The charges stemmed from an Oct. 12, 1999, incident in which then–prime minister Sharif refused to allow a passenger plane, which was carrying 198 passengers, including Gen. Pervez Musharraf, to land in Karachi. During the hijacking the military seized power in a nonviolent coup. When the plane finally landed, Musharraf appointed himself chief executive; he has been Pakistan's leader since.