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Pakistan former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif put under house arrest

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Islamabad, March 15, IRNA -- The authorities Sunday issued orders to put former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif under house arrest to stop him from taking part in ‘long-march’ on Sunday, TV channels reported.

Sharif told his supporters Saturday night that he may be arrested or put under house arrest to stop him from ‘long-march’ on Islamabad to press for restoration of judges sacked by former President Pervez Musharraf in emergency rule in 2007.

There was no official word on the reports.

Police arrested scores of activists of Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) party gathered outside Sharif residence at Model Town locality of Lahore, the capital of Punjab province.

A leader of PML-N Saeed Elahi, who held talks with police, said that the authorities have requested Sharif to postpone his plan of joining long-march.

Scores of PML-N activists gathered outside the house of Nawaz Sharif early morning to join him in the march.

They were chanting slogans in favour of Sharif.

Reports said that the police also put under house arrest several senior PML-N leaders including Shehbaz Sharif, senator Ishaq Dar, member National Assembly Saad Rafiq and the party’s provincial chief Zulfikar Khosa.

In the garrison city of Rawalpindi, police raided the building of high court and arrested over 100 lawyers who were scheduled to leave for Islamabad on Sunday.

The police beat lawyers and locked the main gate of the high court building.

Lawyers and opposition political parties planned to stage sit-in outside the parliament house in Islamabad from March 16.

“I may be arrested or out under house arrest. But you should try to reach Islamabad.”

Nawaz Sharif told hundreds of supporters at his residence in Lahore Saturday night.

Interior Ministry Advisor Rehman Malik said marchers will not be allowed to stage sit-in outside the parliament.

Sharif was scheduled to lead procession of his party supporters from the GPO square in Lahore and to join the marchers in Rawalpindi.

In Islamabad, police parked containers at all entry gates of the capital and did not allow any vehicle to enter.

Police continued raids on houses and offices of opposition parties and arrested activists and several leaders of Muslim League (N), Jamaat-e-Islami and Tehrik-e-Insaf.

President Asif Ali Zardari Saturday told his party leaders that the present tirade against him by the opponents was not something new but had been tried for the past as well to drive a wedge between the workers and the party leadership.

“I am the target of the opponents,” the President said, according to a statement from the President Office.

The President said that the federal government will file a review petition in the Supreme Court against the disqualification of Mian Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif.
**1420

End News / IRNA / News Code 399811