Pakistani premier seeks Saudi help on internal political crisis

Islamabad based Daily Express Tribune reported on Thursday that beside worship during the last days of Ramadan in Hejaz, Nawaz Sharif will spare some time to meet influential figures from the Saudi government.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan is scheduled to stage a ‘long march’ in Islamabad on August 14 against alleged fraud by Nawaz Sharif’s party in last year’s parliamentary election. Awami Muslim League of Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has also joined the chorus. Similarly, the Chaudhrys of Gujrat and Pakistan Awami Tehreek of Dr Tahirul Qadri have also joined hands against the government.

During his stay, sources said, Nawaz Sharif will hold key meetings with senior Saudi officials who have good relations with Pakistan’s premier intelligence agency to discuss certain matters. According to sources, the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N), the ruling party is convinced that its rivals have been emboldened by ‘strained relations’ between the government and the top spy agency.

Highly-placed sources in the PML-N noted that although the party leadership is comfortable with the army chief, the top spymaster still has some serious issues with the PML-N government, especially over the government’s handling of a vilification campaign against the top spy agency. The unrelenting anti-government tirades of Imran and ominous predictions of Sheikh Rashid have convinced the PML-N leadership that the spy agency is not ready to compromise on the issue, the sources added.

With all this in view, Nawaz is expected to urge Saudi officials to use their influence to ease tensions between the government and the spy agency. Sources stressed, Nawaz is confident that his Saudi trip will yield positive results – and this is why he has directed his senior aides to continue the work assigned to them with regard to different national projects. He is said to have assured his senior aides that nothing will happen on August 14 – the day when the PTI will stage its long march – and that everything would be resolved amicably.

In October 1999 when the then army chief Gen Pervez Musharraf toppled  Nawaz government, Saudi Arabia successfully negotiated a deal with the security establishment as a result of which the Sharif family was sent into exile in Saudi Arabia.

There were also reports that the Saudi Government financially helped the Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) during last year parliamentary elections.