Hariri meets Nawaz Sharif on Musharrafs request

Saad Hariri, son of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, met the Sharif brothers this month on the request of Musharraf, and advised them to abide by the deal with the Pakistan Government and not return to the country.

London, Aug 27 : Saad Hariri, son of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, met the Sharif brothers this month on the request of Musharraf, and advised them to abide by the deal with the Pakistan Government and not return to the country.

Sources said the secret meeting had taken place in Scotland in the second week of August at a very short notice on the request of Saad, who was urged by Musharraf to intervene in the matter of Sharifs' proposed return.

Saad Hariri had met former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif in Scotland, said Nadir Chaudhri, the official spokesman of Nawaz Sharif.

Sources said that the meeting took place in Scotland where Sharif had gone along with members of his family to spend his holidays, after filing the petition in the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

They said that after the admission of the petition challenging the ban on the return of Nawaz Sharif, the Musharraf regime was alarmed and immediately contacted Saad, who had played a major role in getting the Sharif family out of the Attock Fort on December 10, 2000.

Saad was reminded of his role as a guarantor in the deal and asked to stop the Sharif from breaching the deal, The News quoted sources, as saying.

Saad contacted the Sharif family in London to discuss the situation, and during the meeting, he is said to have reiterated the position of Musharraf, and conveyed the message that Sharif should not go to Pakistan before completing his 10 years in exile, sources said.

Nawaz did not give any definite reply to Hariri's son as he was simply waiting for the Supreme Court verdict, sources added.

They said Sharif did not take the secret meeting with Saad seriously as before this meeting, he is said to have received a positive message from the Saudis. The Saudis are said to have informed Nawaz that this time they would not interfere in his affairs. he disinterested Saudis conveyed a message to Sharif in London that Musharraf did not want him back in Pakistan before completion of 10 years in exile, and made it clear that Riyadh would not become a party to Sharif's dealings with Musharraf.

Sources said that after this message, a confident Sharif knew that the Saudis would not put him under pressure to stop him from flying to Pakistan, particularly when he had been allowed by the Supreme Court.

That is why, Sharif was not taking Saad and his messages seriously, they added.

Shahbaz Sharif confirmed to the Geo News that his family had met Saad, and said that Nawaz and him were in touch with Saad - on the Saudi government's behest - for the past eight years and that they had met him several times recently.

However, he did not talk about what was said during the meetings, saying the issue was sensitive.

He said Nawaz had clearly told Saad that his return to Pakistan was inevitable because the circumstances in the country were very critical, and added that the act by the Pakistani government to distribute copies of the agreement could affect its relations with Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, PML-N leaders Nawaz and his brother Shahbaz renewed their determination to return to the country before Ramazan.

ANI