Nawaz announces September 10 as date of return

Islamabad: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif said yesterday he intended to end nearly seven years of exile in Saudi Arabia and Britain on September 10.

Sharif said he and his brother Shahbaz were returning to Pakistan for restoration of "undiluted" democracy, for "supremacy of rule of law and the constitution and for ridding the people of military dictatorship." He was speaking at a press conference in London.

The decision on his return had been taken by his Pakistan Muslim League-N party in consultation with components of the All Parties Democratic Movement, he said.

"Musharraf is on his way out. No one should try to rescue him and his sinking ship for personal motives," Sharif said, without naming Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader and former premier Benazir Bhutto.

He said their deal would be with the people of Pakistan and not with a dictator who was trying to remain at the helm for another five years despite the nation rejecting his government.

He said his message to the outside world was that Pakistan without Musharraf would be a "more democratic, peaceful" and a forward-looking country.

The "battlelines" had been drawn between democratic forces, including lawyers, political activists and civil society, and the slavish forces supporting dictatorship, Sharif said.

He said he would go around the country addresing public meetings and mobilising opinion for the democratic struggle.

Critical juncture

"Pakistan is at a critical juncture," he said, adding that its 160 million people would be made the real masters of their destiny and a choice made on whether "vote or gun", "democracy or dictatorship" would rule.

He appealed to the lawmakers supporting Musharraf to "make amends now for their mistake and join the masses".

In Islamabad, Information Minister Mohammad Ali Durrani Durrani told a news conference that the government was chalking out a strategy on how to handle the situation arising from Sharif's return.

He said Sharif and his family had exited the country securing the mediation of a respected personality of a friendly country and after giving an undertaking that they would remain outside the country for 10 years.

"Now if he reneges on his oath, the government is drawing up a strategy to tackle the situation," Durrani said.

On reports that Musharraf had decided on giving up his uniform, Durrani said it had been agreed with the PPP that the issue would be decided by Musharraf himself. "As per the constitution, the president can keep the uniform till the year-end. His decision would not be changed in any dialogue."

He said there was no proposal to scrape presidential powers to dissolve the parliament and government, which the minister said had served as a "safety valve" to avert military intervention.