Pakistan Views

RIYADH: A Pakistani diplomatic source said Tuesday that Musharraf wants Saudi Arabia to put pressure on Sharif to “refrain from carrying out any political activities and talking to the press about the situation in Pakistan, as he has been doing lately.” During his talks with Saudi leaders, Musharraf also urged them to make sure that Sharif does not try to return to Pakistan, as he did in September, arguing that his return would worsen the security situation and might affect next year’s election. He also urged Saudi leaders to lean on Sharif to cease his attempts to forge an alliance with fellow former premier Benazir Bhutto “as such an alliance would hamper the holding of the elections on time,” according to the source, who asked not to be identified. Sharif was quoted earlier by a French news agency that Musharraf had contacted him three times over the past two months, but said there was no point meeting the military ruler.