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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Exiled Pakistani PM set to return | Exiled Pakistani PM set to return |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is expected to return to Pakistan after eight years in exile. | Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is expected to return to Pakistan after eight years in exile. |
| Mr Sharif, who was toppled by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in 1999, is en route to Lahore from Saudi Arabia. | |
| Supporters have been celebrating his anticipated return, although reports say hundreds have been arrested by Pakistani security forces. | Supporters have been celebrating his anticipated return, although reports say hundreds have been arrested by Pakistani security forces. |
| It comes amid a political crisis in Pakistan, which has been placed under emergency rule weeks before elections. | It comes amid a political crisis in Pakistan, which has been placed under emergency rule weeks before elections. |
| Air of calm | Air of calm |
| Hundreds of policemen with riot shields and batons have been deployed at the airport where Mr Sharif is expected to land. | Hundreds of policemen with riot shields and batons have been deployed at the airport where Mr Sharif is expected to land. |
| Pakistan relents over Sharif | Pakistan relents over Sharif |
| But the BBC's Shoaib Hasan in Lahore says the atmosphere is not as tense as it was in September, when Mr Sharif first attempted to return. | But the BBC's Shoaib Hasan in Lahore says the atmosphere is not as tense as it was in September, when Mr Sharif first attempted to return. |
| Then he was deported to Saudi Arabia within hours of arriving. | Then he was deported to Saudi Arabia within hours of arriving. |
| Government officials have said Mr Sharif will be allowed back into the country on Sunday, after reaching an "understanding" with Gen Musharraf. | Government officials have said Mr Sharif will be allowed back into the country on Sunday, after reaching an "understanding" with Gen Musharraf. |
| BBC Pakistan correspondent Barbara Plett says Mr Sharif remains opposed to Gen Musharraf, but that he no longer poses a direct threat because the military leader has recently secured another presidential term by declaring an emergency. | BBC Pakistan correspondent Barbara Plett says Mr Sharif remains opposed to Gen Musharraf, but that he no longer poses a direct threat because the military leader has recently secured another presidential term by declaring an emergency. |
| His return on Sunday would be in time to file nomination papers to contest parliamentary elections on 8 January. | His return on Sunday would be in time to file nomination papers to contest parliamentary elections on 8 January. |
| Opposition leaders, including Benazir Bhutto - another former prime minister who also recently returned from exile - are divided over whether to boycott the elections. | Opposition leaders, including Benazir Bhutto - another former prime minister who also recently returned from exile - are divided over whether to boycott the elections. |
| Armoured car | Armoured car |
| Security has been tightened in Lahore ahead of Mr Sharif's anticipated return. | Security has been tightened in Lahore ahead of Mr Sharif's anticipated return. |
| Two bombings killed more than 130 people at a homecoming parade for Ms Bhutto last month, and Mr Sharif has been provided with an armour-plated Mercedes car by the Saudi King Abdullah for his journey home. | Two bombings killed more than 130 people at a homecoming parade for Ms Bhutto last month, and Mr Sharif has been provided with an armour-plated Mercedes car by the Saudi King Abdullah for his journey home. |
| He is expected to travel from the airport, through city centre, to a shrine about 20km (12.5 miles) away, followed by a visit to his ancestral home, where he will say prayers at his father's grave. | He is expected to travel from the airport, through city centre, to a shrine about 20km (12.5 miles) away, followed by a visit to his ancestral home, where he will say prayers at his father's grave. |
| Thousands of people are expected to turn out to welcome Mr Sharif, and the route from the airport to the city has been lined with posters and banners celebrating his homecoming. | |
| Ahead of his return, officials from Mr Sharif's PML-N party and police said PML-N supporters had been arrested across Punjab province, although it was not clear how many. |