Pakistan: Musharraf Illegally Forces Sharif Back Into Exile
10 Sep 2007 19:20:16 GMT
Source: Human Rights Watch
(New York, September 10, 2007) – Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have flouted international law by forcibly transferring Pakistani opposition leader Nawaz Sharif into exile in Saudi Arabia, Human Rights Watch said today. The Pakistani government's actions are a direct affront to the Pakistani constitution and a recent Supreme Court ruling on Sharif.
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif flew into the capital Islamabad this morning in a bid to end seven years of exile after a decision by the country's Supreme Court cleared the way for his return to Pakistan. Sharif was deposed in a military coup in 1999 by General Pervez Musharraf. On landing, the Pakistan International Airlines plane carrying Sharif was surrounded by paramilitary troops. Sharif emerged from the aircraft two hours later and was taken to a lounge where he was charged with corruption. Shortly thereafter, he was separated from his entourage, returned to the tarmac and made to board a helicopter. Later, he was forcibly transferred to a plane bound for the Saudi city of Jeddah.
