Return to democracy, France tells Pak.

PARIS, APRIL 10. France today asked Pakistan's military ruler, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, to offer clemency to the ousted Prime Minister, Mr. Nawaz Sharif, sentenced to life in prison, and restore democracy in his country.

``The Foreign Minister, Mr. Hubert Vedrine, met Gen. Musharraf, this morning here and the Minister was frank in putting across his views on the current situation in Pakistan,'' a French Foreign Ministry official said.

Gen. Musharraf arrived in Paris last evening en route Havana for the G-77 meeting to drum up economic and diplomatic support for his country.

During the hour-long meeting, Mr. Vedrine reiterated the call for an early return to democracy in Pakistan and expressed concern over the life sentence handed down to Mr. Sharif and hoped measures reflecting clemency would be announced soon. ``We hope that the trial (of Mr. Sharif), which we are following closely, continues with complete transparency and impartiality.''

Answering a question on French defence ties with Pakistan, the official said Paris had a 30-year relationship with Islamabad and would continue to respect old contracts. France has an agreement with Pakistan for supplying 40 Mirage 3 and 5 aircraft later this year. Later, addressing a press conference, Gen. Musharraf renewed his offer for a dialogue with India. ``I am prepared to meet anyone at any time at any place in the world,'' he said when asked about the dialogue process between the two countries which got stalled after Pakistan's failed incursion into Kargil in Jammu and Kashmir.

Gen. Musharraf insisted that Mr. Sharif's trial was ``fair and just'' despite criticism from several quarters. ``The trial could not have been fairer,'' he said, terming media criticism as ``absolutely unfounded''.

- PTI, AP

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