Nawaz to reach London on October 17: Paper

Islamabad, Oct 9: Former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif is all set to depart for London from Saudi Arabia on October 17, over a month after his deportation to the Kingdom on September 10, a major daily reported.

The ''confinement'' of the twice deported prime minister in Saudi Arabia was made on President Pervez Musharraf's personal request to the Saudi authorities for ensuring his smooth sailing in presidential election on October 6, The News quoted sources at Pakistan High Commission in London as saying.

Kulsoom Nawaz, wife of the former premier, also confirmed that Mr Sharif will arrive in London on 17th or 18th of this month.

''Gen Musharraf's request to Saudi authorities to stop Nawaz in Saudi Arabia till the holding of presidential election showed how weak the military establishment had become now. It needs one or two strokes to completely diminish, and Sharifs' arrival in Pakistan would be a big glow to it,'' she added.

Ms Kulsoom said it was very unfortunate that ''the military dictators'' used a friendly country just for their smooth sailing in the presidential election.

''They should have dealt it politically and indulging a brotherly country just for the sake of their vested interests is unfortunate as far as our national image is concerned,'' she said.

The paper also quoted sources as saying that according to the new PML-N strategy Shahbaz Sharif, brother of Mr Nawaz Sharif, will return home after after Eid followed by other family members.

Finally Mr Sharif will stage a ''big comeback'', which will be ''unavoidable'' for the incumbent regime in Islamabad, they said.

However, Begum Kulsoom, when asked about the return of Mr Shahbaz to Pakistan, said ''Final decisions about our arrival in Pakistan would be made after Eid when Nawaz arrives in London.''

UNI