ISLAMABAD: Two diplomatic memos leaked by WikiLeaks reveal that the Saudi royal family is divided over its relationship with Nawaz Sharif, leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-N.
The first cable sent by US Charge’d Affaires Michael Gfoeller on November 20, 2007, reveals Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the US Adel al-Jubeir severely criticised Nawaz for not keeping his words.
“He (Jubeir) asserted that the Saudi government had offered Sharif a pledge of protection and asylum in the Kingdom after his ouster by [Pervez] Musharraf in return for a promise that he would refrain from political activity for ten years. He added that Sharif had begun to attempt to test the limits of this promise five or six years in his exile,” Gfoeller writes in the memo.
“Sharif broke his promise by conducting political activity while in the Kingdom,” al-Jubeir said, according to cable. “He added that when the Saudi government had permitted Sharif to travel to London, he first promised the Saudis not to engage in political activity or return to Pakistan, but he then flew to Pakistan from London in a direct violation of his commitment,” the cable further reveals.
“Al-Jubeir expressed considerable “disappointment” in Sharif’s broken pledges to the Saudi Arabia government. Al-Jubeir added that he sees neither Sharif nor former prime minister Benazir Bhutto as a viable replacement for Musharraf,” Gfoeller further adds in the cable.
In another cable sent on January 2, 2008 by US Ambassador in Saudi Arabia Ford Fraker reveals Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal described Nawaz Sharif as “a force for stability” and “a man who can speak across party lines even to religious extremists”.
“In Prince Saud’s view, Sharif can play an important role in stabilising Pakistan,” Fraker further writes in the memo. Fraker says, “These views stand in marked contrast to those of Saudi Ambassador to the US Adel al-Jubeir.
In a December 31 conversation with the DCM, al-Jubeir was highly critical of Sharif, stating in particular that Sharif had violated a promise made to King Abdullah by publicly calling for president Musharraf to step down.”
