Exiled former prime minister Nawaz Sharif vowed to fight terrorism “with conviction” if re-elected and accused President Pervez Musharraf of deceiving the West over his commitment.Sharif plans to return to Islamabad next week to challenge the president, who is under pressure from the West to stand down as head of the army before seeking re-election. “When I was prime minister we extended full cooperation to everybody... We condemn all kinds of terrorism...and we’ll continue to fight terrorism,” Sharif told Reuters in an interview. “Musharraf needs the threat of terror for his own survival. He is doing something in Pakistan and he is telling something else to the outside world. I think he is hoodwinking the West,” he said.
Analysts say the US may have doubts about SharifÂ’s commitment to fighting militancy because of his sympathies for Islamist parties. Sharif, 57, last month aligned his Pakistan Muslim League with mostly religious parties to form the All Parties Democratic Movement.