Musharraf's 'safe exit' was a negotiated settlement, not a deal: Kaira India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Pakistan Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira has rejected reports of a deal being inked to allow a safe passage to former President General Pervez Musharraf after he stepped down last year. Kaira said Musharraf was ousted from the Presidency under political pressure from parliament. Talking to media persons at an Iftaar dinner here, Kaira said there was not any deal rather it was a negotiated settlement which facilitated Musharraf's safe exit. "Musharraf was ousted peacefully from the Presidency under political pressure from the Parliament. It was not an agreement, but a negotiated settlement after dialogue between all stakeholders," The Daily Times quoted Kaira, as saying. "Even Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif had congratulated President Asif Ali Zardari on showing Musharraf the door without disturbing the political setup," he added. Kaira also denied that Zardari had accepted that he too was a part of the deal which involved national and international guarantors.