Clinton came to save Sharif from gallows: ex-Pak PM

“The sole purpose of Clinton’s visit to Pakistan was to save Sharif from hanging,” Aziz said, adding that Clinton was driven by humanitarian objectives and wanted that no personal vendetta be carried out against Sharif after his government was overthrown by General (retd) Pervez Musharraf in a coup in October 1999. In April 2000, days after Clinton’s departure, Pakistani courts had sentenced the deposed Prime Minister Sharif to life imprisonment rather than the gallows.

After intervention by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the US, Sharif was sent to exile in Saudi Arabia.

“The final agreement took place after he (Musharraf) came to know through Lebanese business tycoon and the country’s then PM Rafiq-Al-Hariri that the Saudis were angry over Sharif’s treatment by the government after his ouster from power,” he added.