Islamabad: Pakistan’s former premier Nawaz Sharif and his brother, Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, held a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman on Monday amid speculations about political settlement in Pakistan.
Shehbaz Sharif returned to Lahore on Tuesday; Nawaz is expected to arrive in a day.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz held the meeting with the Saudi prince, details of which were not shared by either side. After the meeting, Nawaz left Madinah and went to Jeddah, from where he’s expected to go to Makkah to perform Umrah before returning to Pakistan, his daughter Maryam Nawaz said in a tweet.
The sudden departure of the duo to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) in a special plane sent by the Saudi government was dubbed by Pakistan’s opposition parties as a step towards a political deal like National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) to escape from the court cases that Sharifs are facing. However, the ruling party has rejected the speculations.
After six-day stay in Saudi Arabia, Shehbaz told media that Saudi Arabia was among the best friends of Pakistan. “During every crisis — storms, earthquakes, diplomatic, Saudi Arabia has supported Pakistan without any conditions.”
“Saudi Arabia has stood by Pakistan on both diplomatic and international levels,” the chief minister said.
Clarifying the purpose of his visit to Pakistani media, Shehbaz said he went to Saudi Arabia after being invited for Umrah.
The Punjab government explained the hurried tour of the Sharifs’ to the Kingdom, saying: “Shehbaz Sharif met the Saudi crown prince and discussed matters related to Saudi Arabia’s absence from the summit on Al Quds in Turkey.”
The NRO was a controversial ordinance issued by the former President of Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf, on October 5, 2007, which granted amnesty to politicians, political workers and bureaucrats who were accused of corruption, money laundering and terrorism. The NRO was declared unconstitutional by the apex court on December 16, 2009.
