No US role in arranging Sharifs exile

A US State Department official has said that Washington had no role in arranging the forced exile of former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to Saudi Arabia.

Washington, Sept 11 : A US State Department official has said that Washington had no role in arranging the forced exile of former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to Saudi Arabia.

"With regard to the pledge that Sharif made not to return to Pakistan, these are matters between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Mr Sharif himself. The US plays no part," the official said.

Officially, the US has termed the Monday's episode of Sharif's deportation to Jeddah within hours of his landing at the Islamabad airport, seven years after he was sent to a an exile in Saudi Arabia, as an 'internal matter".

However, The Dawn quoting the unnamed State Department official reported that US sees Monday's incident as a violation of the Supreme Court's ruling that upheld Sharif's right to return to his home country.

"The government's decision to deport Sharif to Saudi Arabia runs contrary to the Supreme Court's decision," the daily quoted the State Department official, as saying.

"It is important that the transition to a new, elected government proceed in a legal and constitutional manner," the official added. The White House has already called for a free and fair election in Pakistan.

ANI