Exiled former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has ruled out Saudi Arabia's role in preparing the grounds for his return to Pakistan, a leading daily reported on Saturday."Saudi Arabia should not be dragged into issues which it regards as sensitive. The friendly nation is not at all involved in this matter. It's the apex court, which has allowed me to return to Pakistan," the deposed Premier told the Dawn over the telephone from London.Considering petitions filed by two-time Prime Minister Sharif and his brother Shahbaz, the Supreme Court had ruled on Thursday that they were free to return to the Islamic nation after seven years in "forced" exile."Riyadh is Islamabad's best friend and will support any decision that is in the interest of the latter," the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief was quoted as saying.Reacting to recent media reports that the Saudi rulers were unhappy with him and had also distanced themselves from the issue after the apex court's judgement, Sharif said, "We should stop involving the Saudis in sensitive matters. We should give up this habit."However, he said that he would return to his homeland - where he served as Prime Minister from 1990 to 1993 and again from 1997 until his ouster in 1999 in a coup - as soon as possible "whatever the consequences be"."I'm not afraid of being arrested or implicated in false cases. They cannot terrorise me through threats," he said in response to reports that the Pakistani government might detain him on arrival in the country.The deposed Premier also rejected any possibility of reconciliation with President Pervez Musharraf, the country's military ruler who ousted him and subsequently allowed him to leave for Saudi Arabia after he reportedly promised he would not return to Pakistan for at least 10 years.
