Sharif to end exile before poll deadline

24 November 2007

By Farhan Bokhari in Islamabad and George Parker in Kampala

 

Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan's former prime minister, will return home in the next few days, opposition leaders and Pakistani officials said last night. The move comes as general Pervez Musharraf, the country's military ruler, faces mounting international pressure to lift the state of emergency and restore democracy. The Commonwealth became the first international body to suspend Pakistan since Gen Musharraf imposed a state of emergency on November 3, prompting opposition within the country and abroad.