U.S. mildly critical of Sharif deportation
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States mildly rebuked Pakistan's government on Monday for deporting former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif hours after he returned home from exile vowing to end the rule of President Pervez Musharraf.
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the decision to deport Sharif back to Saudi Arabia on Monday went against the Pakistan Supreme Court's view last month that the former premier had the right to return and the government should not try to stop him.
"The decision to deport him runs contrary to the Supreme Court's decision but as I said it is still a pending legal matter," McCormack told reporters, when asked to comment on Sharif's deportation.
The White House was more muted in its comments and spokesman Tony Snow said Sharif's deportation was a matter for the Pakistanis to work through.
The United States has sent strong signals to Musharraf about the importance of free and fair elections in Pakistan, an important ally in the U.S. fight against terrorism.
Washington has also urged Musharraf to find ways of cooperating politically with Benazir Bhutto, another former prime minister in exile expected to try to come home and contest the elections.
"Our view about the wider issue is that we believe that elections should proceed in a free, fair and transparent manner and that all involved in this political transition should turn away from violence and adhere to the rule of law as well as the constitution," McCormack said.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte is due to arrive in Pakistan on Tuesday and McCormack said he would be ready to talk about these issues.
Negroponte is set to meet Musharraf, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and civil society representatives, the State Department said.
(Additional reporting by Tabassum Zakaria)
