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| Pakistani ex-PM Nawaz Sharif held | Pakistani ex-PM Nawaz Sharif held |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Pakistani opposition leader Nawaz Sharif has been placed under house arrest, his party officials have said. | Pakistani opposition leader Nawaz Sharif has been placed under house arrest, his party officials have said. |
| Mr Sharif, a former prime minister, had pledged to go ahead with march on the capital, Islamabad, by lawyers and opposition activists on Monday. | Mr Sharif, a former prime minister, had pledged to go ahead with march on the capital, Islamabad, by lawyers and opposition activists on Monday. |
| Mr Sharif had thrown his weight behind attempts to reinstate judges sacked by former President Pervez Musharraf. | Mr Sharif had thrown his weight behind attempts to reinstate judges sacked by former President Pervez Musharraf. |
| Tensions between President Asif Ali Zardari's government and Mr Sharif's party have risen in recent months. | Tensions between President Asif Ali Zardari's government and Mr Sharif's party have risen in recent months. |
| Riot police surrounded Mr Sharif's home in the eastern city of Lahore just hours before he was to address a protest rally there. | Riot police surrounded Mr Sharif's home in the eastern city of Lahore just hours before he was to address a protest rally there. |
| A number of other opposition leaders have also been placed under house arrest. | A number of other opposition leaders have also been placed under house arrest. |
| There has been no comment from the government on the detentions. | There has been no comment from the government on the detentions. |
| 'Dismay' | 'Dismay' |
| Anti-government protesters from across Pakistan have been planning to converge on Islamabad for a sit-in to demand the judges' reinstatement. | Anti-government protesters from across Pakistan have been planning to converge on Islamabad for a sit-in to demand the judges' reinstatement. |
| The government, led by Mr Zardari's Pakistan Pakistan People's Party (PPP), has set up roadblocks to halt what is being called a "long march", and banned political gatherings saying they could trigger violence. | The government, led by Mr Zardari's Pakistan Pakistan People's Party (PPP), has set up roadblocks to halt what is being called a "long march", and banned political gatherings saying they could trigger violence. |
| Rallies calling for the reinstatement of sacked judges have been banned | Rallies calling for the reinstatement of sacked judges have been banned |
| A spokesman for Mr Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) called the moves "undemocratic". | A spokesman for Mr Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) called the moves "undemocratic". |
| "We are very dismayed, disappointed that this government of President Zardari is using all these undemocratic measures... to crack down on a very peaceful movement," Ahsan Iqbal told the BBC. | "We are very dismayed, disappointed that this government of President Zardari is using all these undemocratic measures... to crack down on a very peaceful movement," Ahsan Iqbal told the BBC. |
| From hiding, the secretary general of the PML-N, Iqbal Zafar Jhagra told the BBC that President Zardari was a "civilian dictator" who was trying to outdo Gen Musharraf. | From hiding, the secretary general of the PML-N, Iqbal Zafar Jhagra told the BBC that President Zardari was a "civilian dictator" who was trying to outdo Gen Musharraf. |
| The general led a military coup in 1999 that ousted then-Prime Minister Sharif, and ruled until 2008. | The general led a military coup in 1999 that ousted then-Prime Minister Sharif, and ruled until 2008. |
| Long-running tensions | Long-running tensions |
| The protests over the judges have become the arena for a power struggle between Mr Sharif and the president, says the BBC's Barbara Plett in Islamabad. | |
| Deja-vu in crackdownQ&A: Pakistan political instability | |
| The tensions between Mr Zardari and Mr Sharif date back to the 1990s, but the two formed a brief partnership in government following parliamentary elections in February 2008. | The tensions between Mr Zardari and Mr Sharif date back to the 1990s, but the two formed a brief partnership in government following parliamentary elections in February 2008. |
| Mr Sharif's PML-N withdrew from the alliance in August 2008, complaining about the PPP's reluctance to reinstate former Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and other judges sacked by President Musharraf. | Mr Sharif's PML-N withdrew from the alliance in August 2008, complaining about the PPP's reluctance to reinstate former Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and other judges sacked by President Musharraf. |
| Relations have been further strained in recent weeks by a Supreme Court decision to ban Mr Sharif and his brother Shahbaz from elected office, and President Zardari's decision to put their stronghold in Punjab province under direct rule from Islamabad. | Relations have been further strained in recent weeks by a Supreme Court decision to ban Mr Sharif and his brother Shahbaz from elected office, and President Zardari's decision to put their stronghold in Punjab province under direct rule from Islamabad. |
| Shahbaz Sharif was Punjab's chief minister. | |
| However on Saturday, in a move seen as a conciliatory gesture, the government said it would seek a review of the Supreme Court ruling. | |
| Mr Sharif has vowed to keep up demonstrations until the judges are reinstated, in line with a promise made by President Zardari when he took office last year. | Mr Sharif has vowed to keep up demonstrations until the judges are reinstated, in line with a promise made by President Zardari when he took office last year. |
| The political instability comes as Pakistan faces an economic crisis and a growing militant insurgency based in the north-west. | The political instability comes as Pakistan faces an economic crisis and a growing militant insurgency based in the north-west. |
| In a sign that the militancy is spreading, the visiting Sri Lankan cricket team was attacked in Lahore earlier in March. | In a sign that the militancy is spreading, the visiting Sri Lankan cricket team was attacked in Lahore earlier in March. |
| Up to 14 gunmen took part in the attack which killed six policemen and a driver, and injured eight tour members. | Up to 14 gunmen took part in the attack which killed six policemen and a driver, and injured eight tour members. |