Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif said on Saturday he would return home from exile despite a call from a Saudi official for him to stay away for the sake of Pakistani stability.
Sharif, the premier whom army chief and president Pervez Musharraf ousted in 1999 and sent into exile in Saudi Arabia the following year, is due to return home from London on Monday. He has vowed to launch a campaign to end Musharraf's rule. Speaking at a news conference in London, Sharif said he would return to Pakistan as planned.
He said he was "shocked and saddened" by the reaction from both Saudi Arabia and Musharraf to his plans. "If there is bloodshed on my return it will be a tragedy for Pakistan," he added. The government has been trying to block Sharif's return, at least until after Musharraf tries to secure another term in a presidential election by the national and provincial assemblies some time between September 15 and October 15.
Adding to the political tension has been a string of militant attacks in recent weeks. A car bomb in the north-western city of Peshawar wounded 18 people on Saturday. Musharraf sent Sharif to Saudi Arabia in 2000 as part of what the government says was an agreement that Sharif would stay in exile for 10 years. In return, he avoided a life sentence on hijacking and corruption charges.
But the Supreme Court last month said Sharif had an "inalienable right" to return. Sharif later said he made no exile deal with the government and he is determined to return on Monday, along with his politician brother, Shahbaz.
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