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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Sharif joins Pakistan protesters | Sharif joins Pakistan protesters |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| Pakistani opposition leader Nawaz Sharif has joined supporters on a march to the capital Islamabad to stage an anti-government protest. | Pakistani opposition leader Nawaz Sharif has joined supporters on a march to the capital Islamabad to stage an anti-government protest. |
| Hours ahead of the planned march, there were reports that President Asif Ali Zardari was about to reinstate sacked Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry. | |
| The reinstatement of Mr Chaudhry and other judges has been a key opposition demand amid a growing political crisis. | The reinstatement of Mr Chaudhry and other judges has been a key opposition demand amid a growing political crisis. |
| Mr Sharif earlier defied an apparent bid to place him under house arrest. | Mr Sharif earlier defied an apparent bid to place him under house arrest. |
| Hundreds of police had surrounded his home in Lahore but the government denied that he was being detained. | Hundreds of police had surrounded his home in Lahore but the government denied that he was being detained. |
| There were clashes as police fired tear gas and baton charged Sharif supporters who threw stones at the police. | |
| Sharif activists later managed to overcome barriers blocking access to the main highway to Islamabad and Mr Sharif left Lahore in a convoy. | |
| Power struggle | Power struggle |
| Mr Sharif's party, the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N), has been planning a "long march" to arrive in Islamabad on Monday to stage a sit-in to demand the reinstatement of judges sacked by former President Pervez Musharraf. | Mr Sharif's party, the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N), has been planning a "long march" to arrive in Islamabad on Monday to stage a sit-in to demand the reinstatement of judges sacked by former President Pervez Musharraf. |
| Iftikhar Chaudhry and other judges were sacked by Gen Musharraf | Iftikhar Chaudhry and other judges were sacked by Gen Musharraf |
| Mr Sharif is expected to arrive in Rawalpindi - near Islamabad - in the early hours of Monday. | Mr Sharif is expected to arrive in Rawalpindi - near Islamabad - in the early hours of Monday. |
| He is due to be joined there by his brother, Shahbaz Sharif, former chief minister of the Punjab, and leaders of the lawyers' movement demanding the judges' reinstatement. | He is due to be joined there by his brother, Shahbaz Sharif, former chief minister of the Punjab, and leaders of the lawyers' movement demanding the judges' reinstatement. |
| President Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and army chiefs were reported to be holding overnight talks aimed at thrashing out a deal to restore Mr Chaudhry and about 60 other judges sacked by Gen Musharraf. | |
| An announcement on the outcome of the talks was expected shortly. | |
| The campaign over the judges has become a power struggle between Mr Sharif and President Zardari, says the BBC's Barbara Plett in Islamabad. | The campaign over the judges has become a power struggle between Mr Sharif and President Zardari, says the BBC's Barbara Plett in Islamabad. |
| The government has arrested hundreds of opposition activists and banned rallies, saying they could trigger violence. | The government has arrested hundreds of opposition activists and banned rallies, saying they could trigger violence. |
| Our correspondent says it is not clear if Mr Sharif will be able to reach Islamabad, given the authorities have blocked routes leading to the capital. | Our correspondent says it is not clear if Mr Sharif will be able to reach Islamabad, given the authorities have blocked routes leading to the capital. |
| A crisis about more than judgesIn pictures: Pakistan protestsDeja-vu in Pakistan crackdown | |
| She says the unrest has alarmed the West, which wants Pakistan to focus on the battle against the Taleban on the Afghan border. | She says the unrest has alarmed the West, which wants Pakistan to focus on the battle against the Taleban on the Afghan border. |
| The tensions between Mr Zardari and Mr Sharif date back to the 1990s, but the two formed a brief partnership in government after parliamentary elections in February 2008. | |
| President Zardari had promised to bring back the judges when he took office last year following his wife's assassination. | |
| But Mr Sharif's party later left the alliance, complaining of reluctance by Mr Zardari's Pakistan People's Party to reinstate the sacked judges. | |
| The latest crisis was sparked 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. |