Kingdom lending a helping hand to Sharifs?

The secret rendezvous between Saudi high-ups and the Sharif brothers has triggered speculations that a deal similar to controversial NRO is in the offing in order to give some relief to the beleaguered Sharif family facing multiple graft cases in wake of the Panama Papers case verdict. The rumours of a possible deal intensified further after disqualified Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif took a flight from Lahore to Jeddah on Saturday as his younger brother Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif is already in the Kingdom.
The opposition parties are somewhat convinced that as usual, the Sharifs are eying the Saudis to help them out in striking a deal with the powerful Pakistani establishment. At the same time, they have also geared up efforts to further up the ante in their struggle against the government to stop it from bringing in any foreign power in the internal matters of the country.
When contacted, disgruntled PML-N leader Zafar Ali Shah told Business Recorder that an NRO type deal could not be ruled out as the Sharifs are in serious trouble given the corruption cases against them in different courts. He also said the Sharifs are trying to sort out some corruption cases which have reportedly surfaced in Saudi Arabia after the kingdom launched a crackdown on its billionaire princes with whom the Sharifs had business ventures during their exile.
At the same time, he also described the unusual development as a mystery, saying 'one can expect anything from the meeting - an NRO type amnesty or something related to the ongoing corruption investigation in Saudi Arabia where the Sharifs might have some involvement.' Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, who has already demanded early elections, warned that any deal to save the Sharifs from facing the accountability will force his party to take to the streets.
In an emergent meeting chaired by Imran Khan, the party expressed serious concern over the situation and vowed to resist any such deal, saying: "No country - whether the US or Saudi Arabia - no NRO type amnesty will be acceptable." "The Sharifs have no other option but to return the plundered wealth of the nation," said Imran.
A similar concern was shown by Opposition Leader in National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah who plainly stated that internal issues of Pakistan must not be taken to Saudi Arabia for resolution and instead they should be resolved at home. Senator Mukhtar Dhamra of PPP told Business Recorder that the Sharif brothers have a track record of striking controversial deals through Saudi royals whenever they are in trouble.
"But we will never ever allow any such deal as the Sharifs should also face the accountability if Nawaz Sharif is truly following an ideology which he claims despite all the contradictions," he added. Another PPP leader, Chaudhry Manzoor, warned the powerful establishment to stay away from such controversies and let the accountability process take its course. He said that no one should escape the accountability process if he or she is facing serious corruption allegations like the Sharifs.