ISLAMABAD, Aug 31 There will be no trial of Gen (retd) Musharraf unless a house of parliament adopts a resolution seeking his trial. This was stated by Interior Minister Rehman Malik on his way back from Saudia Arabia to Pakistan on Monday.

There were reports that Musharraf was also in Saudi Arabia and that Mr Malik had met him there. However, Mr Malik categorically denied having met the former president, although he said he had also heard unconfirmed reports that Mr Musharraf was in the Kingdom.

He said the government believed in politics of reconciliation, and not vendetta. He said Musharraf's prosecution depended on a broader political consensus. During his two-day visit to Saudi Arabia, Mr Malik met King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Minister of Interior for Security Affairs Prince Muhammad bin Nayef and Saudi intelligence chief Prince Muqrin bin Abdul Aziz.

He also said that the issue of Pakistanis detained on a charge of smuggling narcotic drugs had been taken up with the Saudi government, adding that Prince Muqrin had assured him that if there was a headway in Pakistani investigations, the issue would be considered before the Saudi courts reached a verdict.