PAKISTAN: Supporters of Nawaz Sharif, ousted former PM of Pakistan, prepare grand reception for his return from exile

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) workers and supporters have started making preparations for the reception of exiled former leader Nawaz Sharif, party workers said on Saturday (September 1). Sharif announced on Thursday (August 30) he would return home on September 10 to challenge what he called the illegitimate rule of military leader President Pervez Musharraf. Sharif, ousted as prime minister in a 1999 coup by Musharraf, told a news conference it was his duty to return and challenge the "atrocities and brutalities" of the government. Pakistan's cultural city of Lahore, hometown of Sharif, was abuzz with festivity to greet the former prime minister. About a thousand workers and supporters of Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N rallied on Saturday. "Go Musharraf Go", and "Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif", they chanted. Some party workers gathered outside Lahore press club where they sacrificed animals praying their leader be saved from misfortune. "We are carrying out preparations for the welcome reception of Mian Nawaz Sharif. Workers from Pakistan Muslim League-N and workers from its allied parties have started travelling to Islamabad from today. We will greet him magnificently," said Naushad Hameed, a party worker. Passionate party workers were busy making flags, buntings, posters and other decorations at the main party office in Lahore. "Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif along with their family will land at Islamabad airport. The whole people will reach Islamabad. They will not be in hundreds or thousands but in tens of thousands. We will decorate the whole of Lahore. No one can stop him. We will remove every obstacle in the way of his coming back," said Salma Butt, a woman worker. There have been fireworks by supporters but the most interesting thing is a pet lion which is often seen surrounded by party workers and supporters who chant "Here comes the lion", likening it to their leader. "Nawaz Sharif is a nice man, he should return to the country. He is our former prime minister. He has done many good things. He should clear himself if he has done anything wrong," said Bilal Ahmad, a resident of Lahore. After he was overthrown, Sharif was sentenced to life in prison on graft and security charges. Exiled in 2000, he risks arrest when he goes back to Pakistan. Pakistan's Supreme Court ruled last week that Sharif, a two-time prime minister, should be allowed to return. He has vowed to oppose a bid by Musharraf for another term as president. Musharraf wants to be re-elected by national and provincial assemblies between mid-September and mid-October. During his exile Sharif had repeatedly vowed to return to Pakistan although Musharraf said Sharif and his brother were exiled for 10 years. With his term coming to an end and his popularity plummeting, Musharraf has turned to Bhutto for help to shore up his position. His aides are meeting with the two-time prime minister in London. Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto said on Saturday that talks on a power sharing deal with President Pervez Musharraf had stalled but she would return to Pakistan within weeks even without an agreement. Bhutto has insisted an agreement would hinge on Musharraf stepping down as chief of the army, which has ruled for more than half Pakistan's history since independence in 1947. Western governments are closely following the turbulence in Pakistan, a nuclear-armed state whose support is considered critical to fighting al Qaeda and defeating the Taliban in Afghanistan.

ITN Source | September 2, 2007

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