Sharif supporters detained in Pakistan
Monday, 26 November 2007
LAHORE, Nov 25 (AP): Police detained supporters of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and sealed off the airport ahead of his planned return Sunday from exile, stark reminders that the emergency ruled imposed by his nemesis President Pervez Musharraf remains in effect.
Sharif was due in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore Sunday afternoon, flying back with his wife and brother on a plane provided by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, the country where Sharif has spent most of the past eight years since Musharraf overthrew him in 1999. The king also provided a bulletproof Mercedes for the family.
Ahsan Iqbal, a spokesman for Sharif's party, said some 1,800 activists were detained in a crackdown since late Saturday in Punjab province, of which Lahore is the capital.
However, federal Information Minister Nisar Memon said he was exaggerating.
"There are no arrests as such," Memon said. "About 100 people have been confined so that they do not create any issues. We don't want the same mess as there was in Karachi."
He was referring to the huge rally that greeted another former premier, Benazir Bhutto, when she was allowed to return to Pakistan last month. Bhutto's homecoming procession was torn by a suicide bombing which killed about 150 people.
Both Bhutto and Sharif are seeking to return to power after January 8 parliamentary elections. But the ballot, which the West hopes will produce a moderate government able to stand up to Islamic extremism, has been thrown into confusion by Musharraf's November 3 seizure of emergency powers.
Memon said leaders of Sharif's party would be allowed to greet him at Lahore's Allama Iqbal International Airport and drive with him into the city.
But Sharif's entourage was suspicious.
"The police action and massive deployment shows that something fishy is going on. they've blocked every single vehicle carrying supporters of (Sharif's party)," said Sayed Hafeezuddin, a lawyer for the exiled leader.
Thousands of police were deployed at the airport, some of them manning metal and barbed-wire barriers on approach roads and sidewalks. Passengers with tickets were allowed through.
On the streets of the city, several welcome posters and banners of Sharif were on display, but there was no sign of supporters gathering to greet him.
More than 5,500 people have been detained since the crackdown began, but authorities insist virtually all have been freed since last weekend, when visiting US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte urged Musharraf to restore the constitution.
Sharif's return could prove challenging for Musharraf, particularly if the former prime minister makes an alliance with Bhutto and the two boycott the Jan. 8 elections. But it is also a potential boon for the general, allowing him to claim that he favors a genuine return to democracy.
After Musharraf overthrew Sharif, he gave the jailed politician a choice: accept 10 years of exile or face life in prison on charges including hijacking and terrorism. The charges stemmed from Sharif's desperate attempts to turn away a packed civilian plane carrying Musharraf - then the army chief - back from a trip abroad.
Major opposition parties - including Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party - have been lining up to take part in the ballot, taking preliminary steps such as filing nomination papers. Bhutto said Friday she had not yet decided whether to take part, but that she was leaning toward participating.
Meanwhile, Reuters from Karachi adds: Outraged Pakistani journalists have been confronting police on the streets since President Musharraf imposed emergency rule three weeks ago and muzzled the vibrant media that blossomed under his rule.
The battle is over more than just freedom of the press.
"It is actually a power struggle between the military establishment and the new emerging power centres in civilian life represented by the media barons," said Sabihuddin Ghausi, president of the Karachi Press Club.
Army chief Musharraf, stung by criticism of his manoeuvres to hold on to power, curbed the media and blacked out private television news channels, and international broadcasters, after imposing emergency rule on November 3.
All but the most popular channel, Geo News, have been allowed back on air although none is running the political talk shows that infuriated the government.
Journalists are demanding an end to the emergency and the lifting of what they describe as draconian new media laws.
Sharif was due in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore Sunday afternoon, flying back with his wife and brother on a plane provided by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, the country where Sharif has spent most of the past eight years since Musharraf overthrew him in 1999. The king also provided a bulletproof Mercedes for the family.
Ahsan Iqbal, a spokesman for Sharif's party, said some 1,800 activists were detained in a crackdown since late Saturday in Punjab province, of which Lahore is the capital.
However, federal Information Minister Nisar Memon said he was exaggerating.
"There are no arrests as such," Memon said. "About 100 people have been confined so that they do not create any issues. We don't want the same mess as there was in Karachi."
He was referring to the huge rally that greeted another former premier, Benazir Bhutto, when she was allowed to return to Pakistan last month. Bhutto's homecoming procession was torn by a suicide bombing which killed about 150 people.
Both Bhutto and Sharif are seeking to return to power after January 8 parliamentary elections. But the ballot, which the West hopes will produce a moderate government able to stand up to Islamic extremism, has been thrown into confusion by Musharraf's November 3 seizure of emergency powers.
Memon said leaders of Sharif's party would be allowed to greet him at Lahore's Allama Iqbal International Airport and drive with him into the city.
But Sharif's entourage was suspicious.
"The police action and massive deployment shows that something fishy is going on. they've blocked every single vehicle carrying supporters of (Sharif's party)," said Sayed Hafeezuddin, a lawyer for the exiled leader.
Thousands of police were deployed at the airport, some of them manning metal and barbed-wire barriers on approach roads and sidewalks. Passengers with tickets were allowed through.
On the streets of the city, several welcome posters and banners of Sharif were on display, but there was no sign of supporters gathering to greet him.
More than 5,500 people have been detained since the crackdown began, but authorities insist virtually all have been freed since last weekend, when visiting US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte urged Musharraf to restore the constitution.
Sharif's return could prove challenging for Musharraf, particularly if the former prime minister makes an alliance with Bhutto and the two boycott the Jan. 8 elections. But it is also a potential boon for the general, allowing him to claim that he favors a genuine return to democracy.
After Musharraf overthrew Sharif, he gave the jailed politician a choice: accept 10 years of exile or face life in prison on charges including hijacking and terrorism. The charges stemmed from Sharif's desperate attempts to turn away a packed civilian plane carrying Musharraf - then the army chief - back from a trip abroad.
Major opposition parties - including Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party - have been lining up to take part in the ballot, taking preliminary steps such as filing nomination papers. Bhutto said Friday she had not yet decided whether to take part, but that she was leaning toward participating.
Meanwhile, Reuters from Karachi adds: Outraged Pakistani journalists have been confronting police on the streets since President Musharraf imposed emergency rule three weeks ago and muzzled the vibrant media that blossomed under his rule.
The battle is over more than just freedom of the press.
"It is actually a power struggle between the military establishment and the new emerging power centres in civilian life represented by the media barons," said Sabihuddin Ghausi, president of the Karachi Press Club.
Army chief Musharraf, stung by criticism of his manoeuvres to hold on to power, curbed the media and blacked out private television news channels, and international broadcasters, after imposing emergency rule on November 3.
All but the most popular channel, Geo News, have been allowed back on air although none is running the political talk shows that infuriated the government.
Journalists are demanding an end to the emergency and the lifting of what they describe as draconian new media laws.