'No deal with Nawaz, but former PM sought pardon'

"Nawaz Sharif has not been exiled to Saudi Arabia as a result of some deal but this is true that Sharifs had sought pardon, the details of which can be disclosed," a senior military official told Gulf News.

Major-General Rashid Qureshi, press secretary to the chief executive, yesterday also denied that the restoration of assemblies was under government's consideration at present. "So far I have no information to the effect," Qureshi said but left the door open for this possibility some time in the future.

"At present, there is no consideration or debate (within the government) on restoring suspended assemblies, but I have not talked about the future," Qureshi, who is also director general of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), which serves as the army's press wing, said when asked to comment on reports quoting him as saying that chances of restoration of the suspended assemblies were out of question.

When asked if the government planned to make public the contents of the deal, under which the Sharif family had been exiled to Saudi Arabia, Qureshi replied: "But there is no deal. Let me assure you again that there has been no deal but still this word (deal) is being repeatedly used (in media)."

He said he had clearly stated again and again that all sentences awarded to Nawaz Sharif still stood and these were "jail term, fine, confiscation of property and finally, disqualification for 21 years from holding any public office".

"Practically seen, the jail term has been converted into exile. All the sentences that the honourable courts gave, which include recovery of fine and recovery of looted wealth to the tune of Rs500 million in one case and Rs200 million in the other case and a fine of Rs0.5 million will all be affected by confiscation of Sharifs property. So frankly, this is what has really happened, so how can one term it as a deal?"

Commenting on clarifications by the Sharifs, particularly by Kulsoom Nawaz that Nawaz Sharif had not sought a pardon from the government or the president, Qureshi recalled that initially Kulsoom had straight away said that the family was going nowhere.