PPP senator says Sharif was ditched by his allies

Islamabad: Pakistan Peoples Party senator Babar Awan yesterday said that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had been ditched by the All-Party Democratic Movement (APDM), whose workers conspicuously avoided any public show of solidarity when the PML(N) leader returned from exile.

Talking to Gulf News here yesterday, the renowned constitutional expert said Sharif's attempt to end his exile and his subsequent banishment had weakened him and President Pervez Musharraf alike.

Sharif's party and newly formed alliance, the APDM, had failed badly in according him any semblance of a welcome when he arrived in the country after seven years of exile on September 10, Awan said. The respective leaderships had claimed millions would welcome Sharif but had failed to muster the support of even a few dozens, he lamented.