India’s business tycoon saved Nawaz life in 1999 coup: Gadkari

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NEW DELHI: Former president of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Nitin Gadkari claimed that when Nawaz Sharif was ousted in a military coup in 1999, it was the intervention of India's business tycoon Dhirubhai Ambani that saved his life. Ambani requested the then United States president Bill Clinton to save Sharif's life as 'he was an important friend,' former BJP president makes the startling claim at a function to release Marathi translation of MJ Akbar's book on Sunday.

According to Indian media, Gadkari said Ambani made the request at a meeting in Mumbai during Clinton's visit to India in March 2000, when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the prime minister.

Clinton and his delegation also had a formal event at the Mumbai Stock Exchange, at which Gadkari was present as the leader of opposition in the Maharashtra legislative council.

Before that programme, Dhirubhai met Clinton and requested him to use his good relations with Musharraf to save Sharif's life, for it was feared that Musharraf would get rid of Sharif like how Zia-ul-Haq got rid of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.

After his visit to India, Clinton went to Pakistan where apparently he secured a pardon for Sharif's life after discussions with Musharraf.

"He even conveyed this to Dhirubhai," said Gadkari. Thereafter, Sharif was exiled from Pakistan and offered asylum in Saudi Arabia. (Monitoring Desk) (GNN)