New Delhi: India on Monday reacted cautiously to the development in Pakistan, saying it wanted the neighbour to be peaceful and stable.
Pakistan plunged into political turmoil, after former premier Nawaz Sharif returned to his country and was packed off on exile to Saudi Arabia within hours of his arrival.
Clashes broke out between police and supporters of Sharif's party Pakistan Muslim League (N) in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The Musharraf administration has taken hundreds of political activists into custody and clamped down on the media.
Reacting to the development, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said India wants peace in Pakistan. “We want a peaceful, prosperous and stable neighbour,” he said when asked by reporters to comment on ‘instability’ in Pakistan.
Mukherjee, however, refused to make any direct comment on the developments surrounding Sharif, saying it was an ‘internal matter’ of that country.
The European Union, however, reacted sharply to the developments, telling Pakistan in no uncertain terms that Sharif should be allowed to return to his country and defend himself against the court charges pending against him.
A spokeswoman for the EU's executive Commission in Brussels, Christiane Hohmann, said it had noted an August 23 ruling by Pakistan's Supreme Court to this effect.
"In our view, the Supreme Court's ruling is very clear and should be respected," said Hohmann.
"If there is any legal case against Mr Sharif, he should have the chance to defend himself in a Pakistan court."
Amid high drama and tension, Sharif returned to Pakistan on Monday from a seven-year exile only to be deported back to Saudi Arabia. A defiant Sharif arrived in the port city of Jeddah hours after he was deported by the Musharraf regime.
(With agency inputs)
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