Ousted Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam sit on a Lahore-bound flight due for departure, at Abu Dhabi International Airport, UAE July 13, 2018. REUTERS/ Drazen Jorgic
Lahore, July 13 (IANS): Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz were arrested by anti-corruption officials late on Friday after they arrived in Lahore from Abu Dhabi.
According to reports, a National Accountability Bureau (NAB) team has taken Nawaz Sharif and Maryam into custody.
NAB officials said they had arranged two helicopters to shift the father-daughter duo to Adiala jail in Rawalpindi.
The plane carrying them flew into the Allama Iqbal International Airport here.
The father and daughter departed from Abu Dhabi after their flight was delayed for over two hours. They had left London a day earlier.
Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz landed here on Friday night, a week after they were handed prison sentences on corruption charges.
The plane carrying them flew into the Allama Iqbal International Airport. Pakistani officials said the two may be taken to Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) said it has arranged two helicopters, which are expected to shift the father-daughter duo to Adiala jail in Rawalpindi.
NAB Chairman Justice Javed Iqbal (retd) has warned that strict action would be taken against anyone who obstructs the arrest of the PML-N leaders. The party, however, has claimed that it would only take out a peaceful rally at the airport to welcome its leader.
Earlier, reports suggested that the authorities had decided to divert the plane to Islamabad airport, citingsecurity threats.
Authorities have also taken measures to contain a PML-N welcoming rally moving towards Lahore airport.
Nawaz was sentenced in absentia last week to 10 years in prison by an anti-corruption court over the purchase of high-end properties in London, dealing a serious blow to his party's bid days ahead of the July 25 polls.
Their return could shake up an election race marred by accusations Pakistan's powerful military is working behind the scenes to skew the contest in favour of ex-cricket hero Imran Khan, who describes Sharif as a "criminal" who deserves no support.
Clashes broke out Friday evening at the main highway entry point to Lahore between pro-Sharif protesters and police who had been deployed in their thousands, a Reuters witness said. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Mobile phone service was cut off by mid-afternoon, as Sharif's brother, Shehbaz, led around 10,000 supporters of his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on a march toward the city centre in defiance of a citywide ban on public gatherings.
