June 29, 2003	Sunday	Rabi-us-Sani 28,1424

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NEW YORK, June 28: Pakistan Muslim League (N) president Shahbaz Sharif on Saturday condemned the reported move by the Pakistani authorities to deport his wife and children from Lahore.

“If the government wants to charge me, it’s a different story but my wife and children are not signatory to any agreement. They are apolitical and citizens of Pakistan,” he told Dawn in a telephone interview.

The former chief minister of Punjab asserted that according to the provisions of the Constitution of Pakistan, “no Pakistani citizen could be deported and it is against international laws and norms of decency.”

Terming the deportation orders unfortunate, Mr Sharif said: “When I get back to Pakistan I can be hanged if they have any genuine charges against me. I am willing to face the consequences. But my family should not be subjected to such torture.”

Mr Shahbaz Sharif, who has been living in the United States following surgery to remove a cancerous growth in his intestines, said that he, his brother Nawaz Sharif, the former prime minister and then his father are signatory to the agreement, “under duress.”

“If they want to charge anyone it should be the people who signed the agreement, not my wife and children. They have done nothing nor have they made any political statements.”

Mr Sharif said he had great respect for the armed forces of Pakistan, but stressed: “They are supposed to be the protector of our borders. They should ensure the safety of our citizens, not deport them out of the country”.

Mr Sharif reiterated that once he gets clearance from his doctors, he would return to Pakistan “to face any charges” which he maintained would be “baseless and unfounded.”