Sharif's exile an internal affair: China

BEIJING, Dec 12 (Online): China Tuesday termed the exile of deposed Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as an internal affair of the country.

"We have taken note of the relevant report. This is an internal affair of Pakistan," PTI quoted Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue as telling the reporters here.

"We believe the Pakistani Government and people are fully capable of handling well their own affairs," Zhang said in response to a question on Sharif's deal with the present military regime in Islamabad under which he was exiled to Saudi Arabia on Sunday.

The spokeswoman expressed support for chief executive General Pervez Musharraf by acknowledging that his Government had initiated steps to rejuvenate the country's tattered economy.

"We would like to point it out that we have taken note that the Pakistani Government has been taking measures aiming at stabilising the situation and rejuvenating the economy," Zhang said.