Sharif chose to leave, to avoid prosecution: Pakistan
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif chose to go back into exile to avoid being detained and standing trial, Pakistan's deputy information minister said in an interview with the media.
By Agencies |
LONDON: Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif chose to go back into exile to avoid being detained and standing trial, Pakistan's deputy information minister said in an interview with the media.
Sharif flew to Pakistan yesterday seven years in exile hoping to campaign against the country's US-allied military ruler, but commandos surrounded his plane and within hours he was flown to Saudi Arabia.
However, Minister of State for Information Tariq Azim denied that Sharif had been deported, saying he chose to leave Pakistan to avoid prosecution on corruption charges. He also suggested it was up to Saudi Arabia whether Sharif could return to politics in Pakistan within the next three years.
"It was a choice given to him that either he goes to a detention centre and be detained and tried, or he goes and completes his 10-year (exile) agreement that he has signed with the Saudi government," Azim told BBC's Newsnight program in an interview, according to excerpts provided before its broadcast last night.
Musharraf ousted Sharif in a 1999 bloodless coup. Sharif was convicted on terrorism and hijacking charges and sentenced to life in prison. Saudi Arabia brokered an exiled deal that led to his release in 2000 -- on the condition that Sharif not return to Pakistan for at least 10 years.
"We have not deported him," Azim said. "He has been returned to Saudi Arabia to stand out the rest of the three years that he had agreed to spend outside."
Azim said the government did not block Sharif from entering the country. "No hindrance or obstacle was placed upon his entry into Pakistan. He came here and he was given every assistance," Azim said.
Sharif flew to Pakistan yesterday seven years in exile hoping to campaign against the country's US-allied military ruler, but commandos surrounded his plane and within hours he was flown to Saudi Arabia.
However, Minister of State for Information Tariq Azim denied that Sharif had been deported, saying he chose to leave Pakistan to avoid prosecution on corruption charges. He also suggested it was up to Saudi Arabia whether Sharif could return to politics in Pakistan within the next three years.
"It was a choice given to him that either he goes to a detention centre and be detained and tried, or he goes and completes his 10-year (exile) agreement that he has signed with the Saudi government," Azim told BBC's Newsnight program in an interview, according to excerpts provided before its broadcast last night.
Musharraf ousted Sharif in a 1999 bloodless coup. Sharif was convicted on terrorism and hijacking charges and sentenced to life in prison. Saudi Arabia brokered an exiled deal that led to his release in 2000 -- on the condition that Sharif not return to Pakistan for at least 10 years.
"We have not deported him," Azim said. "He has been returned to Saudi Arabia to stand out the rest of the three years that he had agreed to spend outside."
ADVERTISEMENT
Azim said the government did not block Sharif from entering the country. "No hindrance or obstacle was placed upon his entry into Pakistan. He came here and he was given every assistance," Azim said.
Download
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.
Download
The Economic Times News App for Quarterly Results, Latest News in ITR, Business, Share Market, Live Sensex News & More.
The Economic Times News App for Quarterly Results, Latest News in ITR, Business, Share Market, Live Sensex News & More.
ADVERTISEMENT
