ISLAMABAD, 9 April 2004 — Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has said the return of Mian Shahbaz Sharif, the president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, would violate an agreement restricting the return of any member of the Sharif family.
“Yes, Shahbaz’s return would be a violation of the agreement,” said Rashid while reacting to the Supreme Court verdict in which the court declared that the PML-N president was at liberty to return. Rashid said the government would decide whether to deport Sharif if and when he arrives.
Meanwhile, a senior government official said the agreement banned all members of the Sharif family from returning to Pakistan, adding the government may deport the PML-N president.
Interior Minister Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat said the government would reopen cases against the Sharif family if any member of the family returned in violation of the agreement.
“The Sharif family left the country in 2002 under an agreement. If Shahbaz Sharif returns, he will have to face cases,” he told PTV.
He said the deal was made without external or internal pressure, adding the Supreme Court had earlier dismissed Shahbaz’s petition on technicalities.
The government had renewed Shahbaz’s passport and allowed him to go to the United States, he said.
But Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid-e-Azam, said no one could stop Shahbaz from returning to his motherland. “Nothing will happen if he returns,” he said.
There was no need to approach a court of law to seek permission to return, he added.
He said that Shahbaz’s return would have no impact on his party. Shujaat Hussain said he approached the Pakistan-based leadership of the PML-N with an offer to unify it with the other PML factions. “We are still ready to welcome them,” he added.
