- Title: Ousted Pakistan PM flying home to face jail, authorities lock down Lahore city
- Date: 13th July 2018
- Summary: LAHORE, PAKISTAN (JULY 13, 2018) (REUTERS) SECURITY PERSONNEL STANDING BY BARRICADE ON ROAD/TRAFFIC PASSING ARMED POLICEMAN IN BUNKER POLICE CARRYING OUT CHECKS ON PASSENGERS FROM BUS VARIOUS OF POLICEMEN SEARCHING VEHICLES PARAMILITARY SOLDIER STANDING AS OTHER SOLDIERS CHECK VEHICLE SOLDIER STANDING NEAR AN ENTRY POINT TO LAHORE CITY AS TRAFFIC PASSES SHIPPING CONTAINERS THAT HAVE BEEN BROUGHT TO BLOCK ROADS SOLDIER ON GUARD VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS CHANTING (Urdu) "WE ARE WITH YOU, MIAN MOHAMMAD NAWAZ SHARIF" (SOUNDBITE) (Urdu) SUPPORTER OF PAKISTAN MUSLIM LEAGUE-NAWAZ (PML-N), WHO TRAVELLED TO LAHORE, MOHAMMAD ARSHAD, SAYING: "God willing, I am here to welcome him (Nawaz Sharif) after eight hours of travel. We can sacrifice our lives for Nawaz Sharif. I am ready if they put me in jail for 10 years. I am ready to face prison, no matter it is for one month, 6 months, a year or two, that will not deter us." VARIOUS OF SHIPPING CONTAINERS ON ROAD POLICEMEN GESTURING FOR CARS TO PASS POLICEMAN CHECKING MOTORBIKERS POLICE CAR PARKED AS POLICEMEN CHECKING TRAVELLERS POLICEMAN LETTING MOTORBIKERS GO AFTER CHECKING (SOUNDBITE) (Urdu) SUPPORTER OF PAKISTAN MUSLIM LEAGUE-NAWAZ (PML-N), WHO ARRIVED FROM MIANWALI CITY, ASIF BHATTI, SAYING: "I am ready to give the last drop of my blood. I am ready to face jail. I am ready to die. Let them do whatever police and their bullies want to do, we are here to face it. We will not turn back." VARIOUS OF JOURNALISTS READING NEWSPAPERS HEADLINE AT ENGLISH DAILY NEWSPAPER 'PAKISTAN TODAY' READING (English): "CONVICTED SHARIFS RETURNING TO FACE JAIL TERM" ELECTION POSTERS HANGING ON STREET BANNER ON STREET READING (Urdu) "WELCOME, WELCOME, MIAN MOHAMMAD NAWAZ SHARIF AND MARYAM NAWAZ"
- Embargoed: 27th July 2018 09:35
- Keywords: security Nawaz Sharif Lahore flying jail police
- Location: LAHORE, PAKISTAN
- City: LAHORE, PAKISTAN
- Country: Pakistan
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0018OKZ5TX
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Ousted Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam, both sentenced to lengthy jail terms in absentia, are due to return to Pakistan on Friday (July 13) in a high-stakes gamble to galvanize their beleaguered party ahead of a July 25 general election.
On Friday afternoon, thousands of police had been deployed in the central city of Lahore and shipping containers placed along main roads, which could be used to block protesters from moving towards the airport, where Sharif is expected to land around 6:15 p.m. (1315 GMT).
Local police official Naveed Shah told Reuters his current orders did not include restricting people's movements, but that could change when supporters of Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party take to the streets. PML-N loyalists have said they will march to the airport in defiance of a ban on all public rallies.
Sharif is returning from Britain one week after an anti-corruption court handed him a 10-year jail term over the purchase of luxury London flats and sentenced his daughter and political heir to seven years in prison.
Their return could shake up an election race marred by claims Pakistan's powerful military is working behind the scenes to skew the contest in favor of ex-cricket hero Imran Khan. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2018. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None