Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf said in Islamabad
on Thursday that the exiled former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
could return home.
Musharraf made the remarks when speaking to a representative
gathering at Aiwan-e-Sadr, which meant the President's house in
Pakistan, in the capital Islamabad on Thursday.
Sharif was the head of a political party called Pakistan Muslim
League-Nawaz and could lead his party, Musharraf said, adding that
the run-up to the elections should be smooth and there should be no
political destabilization in the country.
Supporters of
Pakistan's exiled former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif eat sweets as
they celebrate supreme court's decision in Peshawar Aug. 23, 2007.
Pakistan's Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that exiled former prime
minister Sharif can return home after seven years in exile in a
decision he hailed as a victory against
dictatorship.
Musharraf said Sharif went into exile on his own choice as he
was begging for the forgiveness of his jail term.
Musharraf said the ongoing dialogue with the opposition parties
was aimed at achieving the objective of reaching political
reconciliation and national consensus on issues confronting
Pakistan.
He pointed out that it was the constitutional requirement that
the Presidential elections should be held between Sept. 15 and
Oct.15 this year. He added there was no constitutional bar for his
election by the present assemblies.
To a question about his military uniform, Musharraf said he
would follow the constitution and the law of the country. He said
though the president should not be in uniform but the parliament
allowed him to remain President in uniform till the end of 2007
with a two third majority as the country was facing serious threats
and dangers after the 9.11 incident in the US.
Pakistan's Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that Sharif and his
family could return to the country and take part in the forthcoming
parliamentary elections.
Sharif was twice elected as Prime Minister of Pakistan and
served two non-consecutive terms. He was arrested and sentenced to
life imprisonment in 2000 on charges of hijacking and terrorism
after General Pervez Musharraf staged a bloodless coup in the
country. The Pakistani government agreed to commute his sentence
from life in prison to exile in Saudi Arabia. His family moved with
him.
(Xinhua News Agency August 24, 2007)
