ISLAMABAD: The government of Saudi Arabia had fully supported former president Pervez Musharraf’s rule, although it also offered protection to the Sharif family.
According to WikiLeaks, authorities in Saudi Arabia backed Musharraf’s rule and also worked with the former army general to have PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif arrested if he returned from exile.
“We can either support Musharraf and stability, or we can allow bin Laden to get the bomb,” Saudi Ambassador to the US Adel Al-Jubeir told Charge d’Affaires Michael Gfoeller at a lunch in November 2007.
The leaked cables said the Saudi government had offered Nawaz asylum after his ouster by Musharraf, in return for a promise that he would refrain from political activity for ten years.
The US diplomat also reported to Washington that the Saudi ambassador maintained that Nawaz, instead of sticking to his promise, began attempting to test the limits of this promise five or six years in his exile.
