LAHORE, July 13: Exiled former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has criticized the policies being pursued since his ouster in October 1999, and says the rulers have turned their back on the vital national interests.

His spokesman, Zaeem Qadri, quoted Mr Sharif at a news conference here on Tuesday as saying that the construction of a fence along the Line of Control was in contravention of the UN resolutions.

He said the tacit approval of the present rulers in the completion of this project was known to everyone even if the Indian defence minister had not made a statement on the subject.

The former prime minister said the ceasefire between the two countries was a good step. But, he said, its extension to Siachin, where India was in real trouble, was against Pakistan's national interests.

He said Gen Musharraf had said recently that India was setting up the fence five miles deep in its territory, and his military spokesman had said in an interview in Jeddah that the fence had no military significance and that Pakistan would not like to vitiate the atmosphere by lodging a protest.

This, he said, led one to believe that the rulers would not hesitate from going against their national interests only to maintain an atmosphere of harmony.