The Saudi royal family might have stepped in on behalf of former president Pervez Musharraf to stymie any move to put him on trial in Pakistan on charges of treason, political circles speculated today.
The speculation was sparked by back-to-back visits to Saudi Arabia by senior Pakistan People's Party leader and interior minister Rehman Malik and Musharraf, who is currently in the kingdom as a guest of the Saudi royal family.
A meeting yesterday between Musharraf and Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz lasted almost three hours, reports said. Malik, who ended an official visit to Saudi Arabia on Monday, too met the king.
Musharraf, who has been living outside Pakistan for over four months, flew from Britain to Saudi Arabia in a special jet provided by King Abdullah. Reports have said he will stay in Saudi Arabia for several months as a guest of the royal family.
"The almost royal treatment given by the Saudi government to Musharraf during his visit to Riyadh has thrown his opponents into total confusion," the Dawn newspaper reported.
The stand taken by the Saudi ruling family has led to speculation that it "is taking keen interest to defuse tension in Pakistan and try to use its influence to persuade PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif to give up his demand" for Musharraf's trial for high treason, the report said.
Observers said Musharraf, who is disturbed by the PML-N's persistent demand for his trial, wanted King Abdullah to use his influence and bail him out.
Pakistan Supreme Court recently declared the emergency imposed by Musharraf in 2007 as illegal and unconstitutional, thus paving the way for his possible trial for treason.
However, PML-N spokesman Pervez Rasheed denied that any Saudi request related to Musharraf had been conveyed to Sharif. "There has been no official message from Saudi family to Mian Nawaz Sharif in this regard," he told reporters.
A TV news channel reported that Sharif is expected to travel to Saudi Arabia next week for meetings with Saudi officials, who would "force him to abide by the agreement" that led to Musharraf's resignation last year.
It quoted sources as saying that Saudi authorities had sent a message to the Pakistani leadership that they want stability in the country and that King Abdullah had urged all stakeholders to abide by the agreement that rules out any action against Musharraf.
A senior PPP leader told Dawn that frequent visits to Pakistan by Saudi intelligence chief Prince Muqrin bin Abdul Aziz before and after Musharraf's resignation "showed the level of the Saudi government's engagement" with Islamabad.
Asked about any assurance given by the Pakistan government to the Saudis about the fate of Musharraf, the PPP leader said: "I am not aware of this but the way the former president is being treated in the kingdom means he cannot be touched in Pakistan".
