London, May 9 (ANI): Nawaz Sharif, who is tipped to be Pakistan”s next prime minister, has said he would end the country”s involvement in the US-led war on terror if elected. The BBC quoted Sharif as saying that the move was necessary for there to be peace in Pakistan and elsewhere in the world.
Pakistan has been part of the US-led fight against Islamist militancy in the region since the 9/11 attacks. Voters in Pakistan are due to go to the polls on 11 May following an election run-up marred by violence. It is the first time in the country”s history that an elected government will hand over power to another elected government. The remarks by Sharif, leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, may cause concern among Western leaders, who fear it could lead to militants having greater freedom to operate in Pakistan, as foreign troops prepare to leave Afghanistan in 2014. Sharif, however, declined to say whether he would stop military operations against the Taliban and al-Qaeda. Sharif, who served as Pakistan”s prime minister twice in the 1990s, said he wanted to work with other countries to find a lasting peace in the region. (ANI)