Pakistan's press is unanimous in condemning the deportation of former PM Nawaz Sharif, hours after he returned from a seven-year exile to challenge President Pervez Musharraf in elections.
Newspaper editorials accuse the government of defying a Supreme Court ruling allowing Mr Sharif to return home, branding the move "disgusting" and "shameful".
Several papers believe the incident smacks of desperation on the government's part, and suggest Gen Musharraf's grasp on power is slipping.
The ugly spectacle that the government made of Mian Nawaz Sharif's arrival at the Islamabad airport was intolerably disgusting.
The goings on at Islamabad airport can only be described as a shameful episode in our sorry history. It is a clear violation of the Supreme Court's verdict in the Nawaz Sharif return case.
The forced exile of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is an act of pure and utter desperation by a government that seems to be now operating very much in panic mode. It leaves the government open to severe criticism for acting in a most ham-fisted manner. The treatment of the former prime minister as virtually a convicted felon is only going to add to the growing popularity of Mr Sharif.
Monday's events seem to be part of the chain of events occurring in rapid succession, as if with an inexorable force, to rock Pakistan. At stake is not just the survival of a military regime that has been shaken to the core, but the very fate of the ongoing movement for freedom and democracy. Nawaz Sharif's return would have served to strengthen the political process, encouraged other personalities in exile to return and paved the way for hotly contested general elections. This opportunity has been lost.
The government might have heaved a sigh of relief by sending Mian Nawaz back into exile. But then Gen Musharraf and his self-seeking supporters should not forget that this practice of handling political matters through the coercive arm of police and administration will further push the country towards chaos. By overreacting to Mian Nawaz's homecoming, they have only strengthened the perception that the present regime's edifice is too fragile to bear the pressure of one individual.
By re-deporting Nawaz Sharif instead of facing him in the political arena, the government has opened a new Pandora's box which will have serious consequences for the future of the country's politics and democracy. However, the government decided to do this out of sheer desperation. Now [Nawaz Sharif's wife] Kalsoom Nawaz has announced her return to Pakistan. We shall see what strategy our commando president and his valiant comrades adopt to combat this brave lady.
It would be better for the government to allow Nawaz Sharif to come home, take part in the next election and play a role in the country's politics. Then, the people would be able to make a clear decision about Pakistan's future leadership. This would have improved the country's image.
The humiliating way in which Nawaz Sharif was deported again has negative repercussions for the country's politics. The two factions of Muslim league - PML-Q and PML-N - are like two disgruntled brothers. Their dispute should not be translated into personal enmity. Both sides should beware of the sensitivity of situation, to improve the country's political culture.
Source : news.bbc.co.uk
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