Provincial officials were reluctant to confirm this saying it was not in their jurisdiction. Observers say army officials have been cautious in coming out with any statement so far.

Meanwhile, confusion prevailed in Pakistan today over Sharif's whereabouts.Army sources said Sharif, who was being detained in Islamabad by the military since being overthrown in a coup on October 12, had been shifted to Karachi today on a special military aircraft to face trial. But confusion later arose when the Karachi police denied that he was in the southern port city. The C-130 aircraft landed at the Pakistan Air Force base in Karachi sometime after midnight, said officials, who asked not to be identified.He is understood to have been transferred to thearmy base at Malir, a suburb of Karachi.

It was known when his trial will begin, but officials said the ousted premier would appear before a magistrate within the next 24 hours to hear the charges formally read out.

Both the charges slapped on Sharif carry the death penalty or life in prison. Sharif has been held in army custody at an undisclosed location, understood to be Rawalpindi, since the military overthrew his government on October 12.

Once formal charges are laid Sharif is expected to be held in an ordinary prison cell until his trial, which will be conducted by the anti-terrorist courts he established. According to established law, in these courts, the trial can only last seven days. The courts were set up to hand out quick justice and bypass the overloaded judicial system that sometimes takes years to hear a case.

Sharif's loyalists have expressed fear that he will not get a fair hearing from the army that threw him out. And Pakistan's army ruler, General Pervaiz Musharraf said the trialwill be open, free and fair.

A case of criminal conspiracy to kill Gen Musharraf, kidnapping and attempted hijacking was registered against him and four others on Wednesday in Karachi in connection with the events during the coup.

A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight coming from Colombo in which Musharraf and 200 other passengers were travelling was denied landing at the Quaid-Eazam international airport, Karachi. Four persons have already been arrested in the case in which Sharif is the main accused.

The other accused in the case are Sharif's former adviser on Sindh affairs Ghaus Ali Shah, former chairman of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, former director general of the civil aviation authority Aminullah Choudhury and former inspector general of Sindh police Rana Maqbool.