Musharraf in Saudi Arabia: Part pilgrimage, part politics

President Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday embarked on a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia where he is expected to discuss with leaders the return of former premier Nawaz Sharif who said talks with the military ruler will be possible only 'if one of them changed his political position.'

This is Musharraf's first foreign visit since he proclaimed emergency on November 3. He has been under tremendous pressure from the US and the West to end emergency, restore Constitution and release all political detainees.

Officials said the visit to Saudi Arabia is a move by Musharraf to seek support from friendly countries. They said he will discuss with King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bilateral relations and a number of regional and international issues.

Musharraf will also perform umrah or the minor Haj pilgrimage.

Reports have suggested that the return of exiled former prime minister Nawaz Sharif will also figure in Musharraf's discussions following the breakdown of power-sharing talks with former premier Benazir Bhutto.

Sharif has been living in Jeddah since he was deported to Saudi Arabia hours after he tried to return to Islamabad on September 10.

Media reports have suggested that the Saudi government is trying to facilitate reconciliation between Musharraf and Sharif. Sources said no direct meeting is planned between Musharraf and Sharif, but indirect contacts could not be ruled out.

Sharif, however, has ruled out any possibility of meeting Musharraf and said talks between him and the military ruler would be possible only 'if one of them changed his political position.'

'Any meeting with him will not serve any purpose, especially when he (Musharraf) has detained judges and imposed a caretaker set-up of his own choice,' Sharif told the Dawn newspaper.

Sharif also said the issue of his return to Pakistan would 'become clear soon as his Saudi hosts were aware that he had an important role to play in Pakistan's politics.'

'I am expecting positive developments. I hope I will return to Pakistan before the elections,' he said, adding 'I can't afford to stay out of the country any more.'

Sharif also said he had turned down three proposals to meet Musharraf over the past two months. He said the opposition alliance All Party Democratic Movement, of which his PML-N was a member, could 'think of finding a way out' of Pakistan's political crisis if Musharraf gave an undertaking that the army would not interfere in politics in future and ended the emergency imposed on November 3.