Nawaz Sharif lands in Pakistan after 7 years

Islamabad, Sept 10: In the biggest challenge to the rule of belaguered Pakistan President Gen Pervez Musharraf, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is back to Pakistan, after seven years in exile following his deposal in a bloodless military coup in 1999.

However, his brother and former Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif who had already made an abortive attempt to return home in 2004 decided to stay back in London at the last minute.

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The flight was late for about an hour as one of Nawaz's supporters complained of chest pain and was offloaded.

Talking to reporters before boarding the plane, an upbeat Mr Sharif said, ''We are going, nothing can stop us.'' ''I decided to travel in a PIA flight due to the changed scenario because it was feared that if I had booked the flight of any foreign airline that would have been cancelled or diverted to other destination on one way or the other,'' Mr Sharif told private TV channel Geo TV onboard the flight.

''The situation of Pakistan is crystal clear before everybody and the Pakistani nation wants to get rid of dictatorship, '' he claimed, adding the ''feeling about my return to homeland is beyond explanation.'' The channel quoted Shahbaz Sharif as saying Nawaz Sharif asked him to stay in London despite ''ardently wanting his company with a view to tackle the situation if he is arrested or deported after arrival in Pakistan.'' ''Nawaz Sharif forcibly asked to delay my return programme despite my keen desire to accompany him,'' he said, adding he obeyed ''as I am under obligation to do that because he is my elder brother and leader.'' Meanwhile, security has been tightened and nobody is allowed to enter into the premises of Islamabad airport to avoid any untoward incident on arrival of Sharif brothers, sources said.

Prominent opposition leaders were arrested and rallies banned as police manned roadblocks on all the main roads leading to the capital from last night. A five-kilometre area around the airport was also cordoned off where a security high alert was declared.

No one was allowed to enter the airport premises as heavy contingent of security forces including Rangers and the Elite Force commandos were deputed and armoured vehicles were patrolling the area. A Civil Aviation Authority spokesman, however, said that the airport would not be closed and all domestic and international flights would continue operating according to schedule today.

Police rounded up supporters of former prime minister last night. MMA leaders Qazi Hussain Ahmed and Liaqat Baloch were also arrested and ordered detained for one month. PML-N Chairman Raja Zafar-ul-Haq and acting President Javed Hashmi were also detained.

A Punjab police official said around 250 ''trouble makers'' had been picked up, while reports said as many as 4000 PML-N activists had been rounded up.

Airport authorities banned the entry of people into the premises.

UNI