Britain silent on Sharif exile

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON, DEC. 10. The British Foreign Office declined comment on the developments in Pakistan saying it ``is not for us to say anything''; but in diplomatic circles the news of former Prime Minister Mr. Nawaz Sharif's exile was received with surprise.

Even Arab observers claimed they had no idea of Saudi ``mediation''. ``We are as surprised as anybody else,'' said one analyst.

The British media reported that a member of the Saudi Royal family ``brokered'' the deal and pointed to Mr. Sharif's ``many business connections'' in the Gulf.

The Observer which has been closely following Mr. Sharif's political fortunes, having broken a story in 1998 about the

corruption in his regime said: ``The military Government (of Gen. Musharraf), which has so far been unable to deliver on promises of economic reform, may well have been uneasy about a recent pact made by Sharif's Muslim League Party... and the Pakistan People's Party which is led by former prime minister Ms. Benazir Bhutto who is resident in London.''

The newspaper speculated that it should be good news for Ms. Bhutto as Mr. Sharif's exit from the political scene leaves the field clear for her to return home as ``a champion of democracy.''

Until late in the evening, there had been no reaction from the PPP here.

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Section  : International
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