<p>The Daily Telegraph said a senior British diplomat had met former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif to urge him not to press for the extradition of Musharraf, who is currently in London.<br /><br />The paper quoted a senior Sharif aide as saying Mark Lyall Grant, political director of the British foreign office and a former high commissioner to Pakistan, had urged Sharif “not to insist on this issue, that Pakistan needs stability and peace and to focus on the many challenges within and without.<br /><br />“We need to prioritise and should not raise such problems for ourselves, it will divide the nation, he said,” the aide said about the reported plea by Lyall Grant.<br /><br />The British diplomat, after one of whose ancestors Lyallpur - now Faisalabad - is named, is said to have played a key role in convincing Musharraf to allow former premier Benazir Bhutto and her husband Asif Ali Zardari to return to Pakistan in 2007.<br /><br />British sources denied Lyall Grant had intervened on behalf of Musharraf, but stressed the need to avoid any "distraction" from creating regional stability, the Daily Telegraph said.<br /><br />Musharraf is facing charges of acting illegally in imposing emergency rule and ordering the house arrest of seven Supreme Court judges in November 2007.<br /><br />He could be forced to give evidence in Pakistan if Islamabad presses for his extradition.<br /><br />British media have recently speculated that Musharraf could have to spend a prolonged period in exile but Sharif, whom Musharraf ousted in a military coup in 1999, is said to be determined to bring the former army chief to trial.<br /><br />The Daily Telegraph said Sharif believes Musharraf must also face treason charges to discourage military chiefs from seizing power in the future, although President Asif Ali Zardari opposes such a move. Conviction on treason charges carries the death penalty.</p>
<p>The Daily Telegraph said a senior British diplomat had met former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif to urge him not to press for the extradition of Musharraf, who is currently in London.<br /><br />The paper quoted a senior Sharif aide as saying Mark Lyall Grant, political director of the British foreign office and a former high commissioner to Pakistan, had urged Sharif “not to insist on this issue, that Pakistan needs stability and peace and to focus on the many challenges within and without.<br /><br />“We need to prioritise and should not raise such problems for ourselves, it will divide the nation, he said,” the aide said about the reported plea by Lyall Grant.<br /><br />The British diplomat, after one of whose ancestors Lyallpur - now Faisalabad - is named, is said to have played a key role in convincing Musharraf to allow former premier Benazir Bhutto and her husband Asif Ali Zardari to return to Pakistan in 2007.<br /><br />British sources denied Lyall Grant had intervened on behalf of Musharraf, but stressed the need to avoid any "distraction" from creating regional stability, the Daily Telegraph said.<br /><br />Musharraf is facing charges of acting illegally in imposing emergency rule and ordering the house arrest of seven Supreme Court judges in November 2007.<br /><br />He could be forced to give evidence in Pakistan if Islamabad presses for his extradition.<br /><br />British media have recently speculated that Musharraf could have to spend a prolonged period in exile but Sharif, whom Musharraf ousted in a military coup in 1999, is said to be determined to bring the former army chief to trial.<br /><br />The Daily Telegraph said Sharif believes Musharraf must also face treason charges to discourage military chiefs from seizing power in the future, although President Asif Ali Zardari opposes such a move. Conviction on treason charges carries the death penalty.</p>