WikiLeaks: ISI asked Saudis to stop funding Nawaz's campaign

Former ISI chief told Saudi Ambassador that the aid violated Pakistan's agreement on Nawaz’s return from exile.

New WikiLeaks cables have revealed that the ISI had asked Saudi Arabia to stop funding Nawaz Sharif's campaign in the last elections.

Former ISI chief Nadeem Taj told the Saudi Ambassador in a meeting that the aid violated Pakistan's agreement with the Saudis on Nawaz’s return from exile.

The cable, which was filed by former ambassador Anne Patterson, reads:

Aziz expressed great concern to Ambassador about a possible PPP-Nawaz alliance. Aziz claimed the Saudis were heavily funding Sharif’s campaign to ensure a PPP defeat and hedge their bets against Musharraf. Taj called the Saudi Ambassador and requested this stop, saying it violated the GOP’s agreement with the Saudis on Nawaz’s return from exile. Aziz observed that if the PML-N and the PPP formed a government, “What options would Musharraf have?”

Former National Security Advisor and Musharraf's trusted aide Tariq Aziz also expressed great concern to the American Ambassador in this regard.

He told the American envoy that the Saudis were heavily funding Sharif’s campaign to ensure PPP's defeat and hedge their bets against Musharraf.

The cable has also revealed that President Zardari had raised the idea of becoming Prime Minister with Tariq Aziz after the 2008 polls. But Aziz supported Amin Faheem.

Zardari complained that Faheem was a poor administrator who lacked the skills needed to run the government.

Cable Referenced: WikiLeaks no. 141804

The full text of the cables can be read on Dawn.com, The Hinduand NDTV. WikiLeaks has previously released cables to other media organisations including Guardian and the New York Times.