JEDDAH, 5 September 2007 — A responsible Saudi source yesterday denied press reports claiming Saudi Arabia supported the return of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family to Pakistan and said Riyadh expected Sharif to abide by his pledge of not returning to Pakistan and politics.
The Saudi spokesman made the comment in response to reports carried by some Pakistani newspapers last Saturday claiming Saudi Arabia was happy over Sharif’s return.
“These reports are totally baseless,” the source said.
The source said Saudi Arabia received Sharif after he was removed from the post of prime minister in 1999 as a humanitarian gesture with the cooperation of Pakistan government and President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, reflecting the strong relations between the two countries.
“Contrary to reports that have been published wisdom demands from Nawaz Sharif to abide by his pledge of not returning to Pakistan and politics,” the spokesman said.
In another development, the power-sharing negotiations between President Musharraf and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto made some progress in Dubai yesterday.
Pakistan People’s Party spokesman Farhatullah Babar said, “There has been some progress on the issue of holding of free and fair elections. There has been no progress on the issue about maintaining a balance in powers between the president and the Parliament. The dialogue will continue.”
Railway Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed also reported progress in the talks.
“It is a positive development. The talks are making progress,” he told a private television channel, adding that another round of negotiations would be held “soon.” The two sides should settle all issues by Sept. 10, as the presidential elections are due between Sept. 15 and Oct. 15, he said.
Efforts to formulate a deal stalled after the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) opposed Benazir’s demands that Musharraf should quit as army chief before being re-elected for another five-year term as president.
Benazir said he should also cede his powers to dissolve Parliament, allow premiers to serve a third term and give an amnesty to herself and other politicians covering her two terms in power between 1989 and 1996. Babar said he believed the talks would resume today or tomorrow in the Gulf emirate.
Meanwhile, Minister for Information Muhammad Ali Durrani told a press conference here yesterday that a settlement between Benazir and Musharraf’s emissaries Tariq Aziz and Lt. Gen. Hamid Javaid was almost finalized.
He said in this deal PML-Q was taken into confidence. Babar told GEO TV: “President Musharraf will proceed to Dubai himself to affix final seal on the settlement which was agreed this evening in Dubai.”
