Nawaz-Musharraf 'ten-year exile agreement' expires

Lahore, Dec 11(ANI): The ten-year exile accord signed between former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and former military ruler Pervez Musharraf has expired, a private TV channel has reported.

Although Nawaz never confirmed on record his signing of the agreement with Musharraf, under which he was banished from the country, the document, however, bears his signature, the Daily Times reports.

In the agreement, the Sharif brothers had agreed to live in exile for 10 years, and declared that they would not participate in the country's politics in this period.

According to the channel, the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) leader had said in the agreement: "I, Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, accept the help by a personality for negotiation for the release from imprisonment in Pakistan. I am satisfied with this whole process of the negotiation."

Ensuing the accord, Nawaz Sharif, along with his family, was exiled in December 2000.

It is noteworthy that according to a diplomatic cable unveiled by whistle-blower website WikiLeaks, the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the US, Adel al-Jubeir, asserted that the "Saudi government (SAG) had offered Sharif a pledge of protection and asylum in the Kingdom after his ouster by Musharraf in return for a promise that he would refrain from political activity for ten years."

He added that Sharif had begun to attempt to test the limits of this promise five or six years in his exile. "Sharif broke his promise by conducting political activity while in the Kingdom," the cable quoted the Saudi Ambassador, as saying. (ANI)