Nawaz Sharif is back in Saudi Arabia to complete his exile term

Dubai, Sep 10 (UNI) It is back to square one for former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

He returned to Saudi Arabia this evening, where he had begun his ten-year term in exile in 2000 after he was toppled by Gen Pervez Musharraf in a bloodless coup in October 1999.

Mr Sharif returned to Jeddah after being unceremoniously deported on his arrival at Islamabad from London. Mr Sharif arrived in Jeddah on a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane. He was earlier arrested at Islamabad on charges of corruption and hijacking on his return after seven years of exile.

Mr Sharif appeared to have lost the latest round of battle with President Pervez Musharraf though the Supreme Court of Pakistan had ruled that he and his brother Shabaz could return to their home country.

Saudi intelligence chief Prince Muqrin bin Abdul Aziz had on Saturday urged Mr Sharif to honour his exile agreement and not to return to Pakistan before completing ten years. But the former Prime Minister said his exile was only for five years and insisted on returning home.

Mr Sharif, twice elected as Prime Minister of Pakistan, served two non-consecutive terms in office. He was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment in 2000 on charges of hijacking and terrorism after Gen Pervez Musharraf staged a bloodless coup in the country.

The Pakistani government agreed to commute his sentence from life imprisonment to exile in Saudi Arabia for ten years.

Mr Sharif was exiled to Saudi Arabia in 2000 after being deposed, under what the government says was an agreement that he stay in exile for 10 years. The former prime minister has denied there ever was any such deal.

It was the Pakistani Consulate in Jeddah which renewed Mr Sharif's passport enabling him to travel to London where his brother Shahbaz is currently based.

UNI