Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf said in Islamabad on Thursday that the exiled former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif could return home.

 

Musharraf made the remarks when speaking to a representative gathering at Aiwan-e-Sadr, which meant the President's house in Pakistan, in the capital Islamabad on Thursday.

 

Sharif was the head of a political party called Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and could lead his party, Musharraf said, adding that the run-up to the elections should be smooth and there should be no political destabilization in the country.

 

Supporters of Pakistan's exiled former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif eat sweets as they celebrate supreme court's decision in Peshawar Aug. 23, 2007. Pakistan's Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that exiled former prime minister Sharif can return home after seven years in exile in a decision he hailed as a victory against dictatorship.

 

Musharraf said Sharif went into exile on his own choice as he was begging for the forgiveness of his jail term.

 

Musharraf said the ongoing dialogue with the opposition parties was aimed at achieving the objective of reaching political reconciliation and national consensus on issues confronting Pakistan.

 

He pointed out that it was the constitutional requirement that the Presidential elections should be held between Sept. 15 and Oct.15 this year. He added there was no constitutional bar for his election by the present assemblies.

 

To a question about his military uniform, Musharraf said he would follow the constitution and the law of the country. He said though the president should not be in uniform but the parliament allowed him to remain President in uniform till the end of 2007 with a two third majority as the country was facing serious threats and dangers after the 9.11 incident in the US.

 

Pakistan's Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that Sharif and his family could return to the country and take part in the forthcoming parliamentary elections.

 

Sharif was twice elected as Prime Minister of Pakistan and served two non-consecutive terms. He was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment in 2000 on charges of hijacking and terrorism after General Pervez Musharraf staged a bloodless coup in the country. The Pakistani government agreed to commute his sentence from life in prison to exile in Saudi Arabia. His family moved with him.

 

(Xinhua News Agency August 24, 2007)