Sharif urged to defer return

Islamabad: Lebanese politician Saad Al Hariri on Saturday urged Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to postpone his return to Pakistan next week for the sake of peace.

"Nawaz Sharif must honour his commitment," Hariri told a press conference after a meeting with President Pervez Musharraf in Pakistan.

Sharif, who is due to return from London on Monday, has vowed to launch a campaign to against Musharraf, who had order his ouster in 1999 and then his exile the following year.

Saudi intelligence chief Prince Muqrin Bin Abdul Aziz Al
Saud, who was also at the conference, said that Sharif must honour the deal that sent him into exile.

"For the sake of the national interest of Pakistan we hope that he will honour and adhere to the terms of the agreement," he said.

The government has been trying to block Sharif's return; pressing him to stick to an agreement that the government says he agreed to in 2000 to go into exile in Saudi Arabia.

The government says the deal was guaranteed by Saudi leaders and Rafik Al Hariri.

But Sharif says he made no deal with the government and is determined to return, along with his politician brother, Shahbaz.