ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — President Pervez Musharraf's government quickly deported a former prime minister who tried to return home from exile Monday, eliminating a potential challenge to Musharraf but risking heightened political protests and setting up a clash with a newly emboldened Supreme Court.
Two-time Premier Nawaz Sharif, exiled to Saudi Arabia in 2000, flew into Islamabad's airport from London early Monday, a few weeks after the Supreme Court said he had an inalienable right to return home.
But Sharif, who had hoped for a warm welcome from supporters, never got further than the airport lounge.
He was detained by security agents who boarded his plane, threatened him with arrest on corruption allegations and, hours later, put him on a plane to Saudi Arabia.
"They stormed in like bees," said Amjad Malik, a British lawyer for Sharif who accompanied him on the plane. "There was a big hoo-ha. Mr. Sharif may have been hurt, I'm not sure. I'm very worried about his well-being."
On the road to the airport, Sharif supporters carrying "Long live Nawaz" posters were met by hundreds of police officers holding sticks and riot shields and blocking the way. Many of them, including the leaders of his political party, were arrested in chaotic scenes.
Analysts predict ripple effect
While Sharif's deportation marginalized one of Musharraf's biggest foes, analysts said it likely will create other problems for the U.S. ally in the war on terror and deepen resentment of his military rule, which began when he seized power from Sharif in a bloodless coup in 1999 and later exiled him.
Critics said the government's reaction to Sharif's return showed just how much the opposition worries Musharraf. Opposition leaders vowed to continue fighting him, both in court and on the streets, and Western officials criticized his government for the way it handled Sharif.
"The decision to deport him runs contrary to the Supreme Court's decision," U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in Washington.
Musharraf, also the country's army chief, faces mounting challenges to winning another 5-year term in an upcoming presidential election.
His popularity has plummeted since an attempt to oust the country's chief justice in March, while Sharif's popularity had skyrocketed, largely because of his anti-Musharraf stance.
Sharif had hoped to rally opposition to the president, possibly mounting his own campaign for the presidency.
On Monday, several legal experts and analysts questioned whether Musharraf could hold onto power for much longer, despite his support from the U.S.
"He can't survive any more as a political entity," said Iftikhar Gilani, a senior lawyer with the Supreme Court and former law minister. "It's the end of him."
Sharif was exiled in 2000 after being sentenced to life in prison, primarily on charges of corruption. As part of the deal, Sharif allegedly agreed to make his home in Saudi Arabia for 10 years. On Monday, Sharif was given a choice to be arrested or deported, the country's official news agency said. He chose to go to Saudi Arabia, officials told Pakistani media, although that could not be independently confirmed.
Critics said the government's reaction to Sharif's return showed just how much the opposition worries Musharraf. Opposition leaders vowed to continue fighting him, both in court and on the streets, and Western officials criticized his government for the way it handled Sharif.
"The decision to deport him runs contrary to the Supreme Court's decision," U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in Washington.
Musharraf, also the country's army chief, faces mounting challenges to winning another 5-year term in an upcoming presidential election.
His popularity has plummeted since an attempt to oust the country's chief justice in March, while Sharif's popularity had skyrocketed, largely because of his anti-Musharraf stance.
Sharif had hoped to rally opposition to the president, possibly mounting his own campaign for the presidency.
On Monday, several legal experts and analysts questioned whether Musharraf could hold onto power for much longer, despite his support from the U.S.
"He can't survive any more as a political entity," said Iftikhar Gilani, a senior lawyer with the Supreme Court and former law minister. "It's the end of him."
Sharif was exiled in 2000 after being sentenced to life in prison, primarily on charges of corruption. As part of the deal, Sharif allegedly agreed to make his home in Saudi Arabia for 10 years. On Monday, Sharif was given a choice to be arrested or deported, the country's official news agency said. He chose to go to Saudi Arabia, officials told Pakistani media, although that could not be independently confirmed.
Government defends action
"Sharif's deportation is in accordance with law and ethics," Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao told Dawn TV. Aryone World TV showed footage of an official from the government's anti-corruption agency, the National Accountability Bureau, reading out the recently resurrected corruption charges to Sharif in the airport lounge.
Musharraf's future will likely be decided by the Pakistani court whose ruling he disregarded Monday.
Since the Supreme Court decided in July to challenge the president and reinstate the country's popular chief justice, it has issued several other major court decisions that have gone against the government.
Until Monday, the government had respected every decision, releasing from prison an opposition leader and alleged Islamic militants who had never been charged with crimes.
Other pending cases could hurt Musharraf directly, including one that challenges his dual role as president and army chief.
On Monday, though, Musharraf showed that he was still very much in charge.
Cell phone coverage was blocked around the airport after the government jammed the networks. Thousands of police, commandos and other security forces set up blockades, using barbed wire, trucks and tractors.
Rows of police blocked some roads, holding batons and riot shields. Officers fired tear gas at pro-Sharif crowds in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad.
Ahsan Iqbal, the spokesman for Sharif's political party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, said Monday that 4,000 opposition members had been detained in the run-up to Sharif's return.
Iqbal was arrested a short time later, and the party's secretary general, Iqbal Zaffar Jhagra, was among those arrested on the road to the airport. After Jhagra got out of his vehicle, he joined Muhammad Rafiq Tarar, president of Pakistan from 1998 until 2001. Police and commandos surrounded them.
"This is the former president of the country," shouted Jhagra, his voice shaking. "Please let us go. …Why are we being stopped? I don't know why this is happening. Why are you stopping us, for God's sake?"
Source : www.chicagotribune.com
Musharraf's future will likely be decided by the Pakistani court whose ruling he disregarded Monday.
Since the Supreme Court decided in July to challenge the president and reinstate the country's popular chief justice, it has issued several other major court decisions that have gone against the government.
Until Monday, the government had respected every decision, releasing from prison an opposition leader and alleged Islamic militants who had never been charged with crimes.
Other pending cases could hurt Musharraf directly, including one that challenges his dual role as president and army chief.
On Monday, though, Musharraf showed that he was still very much in charge.
Cell phone coverage was blocked around the airport after the government jammed the networks. Thousands of police, commandos and other security forces set up blockades, using barbed wire, trucks and tractors.
Rows of police blocked some roads, holding batons and riot shields. Officers fired tear gas at pro-Sharif crowds in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad.
Ahsan Iqbal, the spokesman for Sharif's political party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, said Monday that 4,000 opposition members had been detained in the run-up to Sharif's return.
Iqbal was arrested a short time later, and the party's secretary general, Iqbal Zaffar Jhagra, was among those arrested on the road to the airport. After Jhagra got out of his vehicle, he joined Muhammad Rafiq Tarar, president of Pakistan from 1998 until 2001. Police and commandos surrounded them.
"This is the former president of the country," shouted Jhagra, his voice shaking. "Please let us go. …Why are we being stopped? I don't know why this is happening. Why are you stopping us, for God's sake?"
Source : www.chicagotribune.com
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