Defying threats by Pervez Musharraf regime, Sharif, 58, and his brother Shahbaz along with a contingent of journalists will leave London on Sunday night and plan to reach Islamabad on Monday afternoon, sources close to the Pakistan Muslim League (N) leader said in London.
Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad said Sharif would be detained after his arrival in Islamabad and “deported” to either Britain or Saudi Arabia.
After his detention, “Sharif might be kept in jail for a day or so and then he will be deported to London, Saudi Arabia or elsewhere”, Rashid was quoted by Dawn as saying. The government wanted to ensure that Sharif was not provided an opportunity to become a hero in a day, he said. Saad Hariri, son of former Lebanese Prime minister Rafiq Hariri, and a special envoy of Saudi King, Maqruin bin Abdul Aziz, met Musharraf in Islamabad on Saturday after which they publicly reminded Sharif about the “agreement”.
Meanwhile, the much-touted power-sharing deal between Gen Musharraf and former Premier Benazir Bhutto has collapsed over her demand that Prime Ministers must be allowed a third term, Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad said.
FAIR DEAL
No revenge against Gen: Nawaz
Islamabad, PTI: As he prepares to return to Pakistan on Monday, exiled former Premier Nawaz Sharif has said that he would not settle scores with embattled President Pervez Musharraf if he came to power but wanted the military dictator to step down from office.
“I don’t believe in personal revenge and I have no grudge against Musharraf, but I want him to step down because I can’t compromise on Pakistan,” Sharif — who was ousted by Musharraf in a military coup in 1999 and reportedly sent to exile a year later — told ‘ARY TV’ from London. He said that he wanted the rule of law, supremacy of the Constitution, the people’s right to govern, and the end of military dictatorship in the nation.