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| Version 4 | Version 5 |
|---|---|
| Ex-PM Sharif returns to Pakistan | Ex-PM Sharif returns to Pakistan |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has returned home to Pakistan after eight years in exile. | Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has returned home to Pakistan after eight years in exile. |
| Mr Sharif, who was toppled by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in 1999, arrived in Lahore from Saudi Arabia. | Mr Sharif, who was toppled by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in 1999, arrived in Lahore from Saudi Arabia. |
| Speaking to the BBC from inside his plane, Mr Sharif said there was little room for any understanding with Mr Musharraf. | Speaking to the BBC from inside his plane, Mr Sharif said there was little room for any understanding with Mr Musharraf. |
| He said his objectives were to rid the country of military rule and to strengthen democracy. | He said his objectives were to rid the country of military rule and to strengthen democracy. |
| Mr Sharif's return comes amid a political crisis in Pakistan, which has been placed under emergency rule weeks before elections. | Mr Sharif's return comes amid a political crisis in Pakistan, which has been placed under emergency rule weeks before elections. |
| Air of calm | Air of calm |
| Television footage showed Mr Sharif, accompanied by his politician brother Shabaz, smiling and waving to a crowd in the arrivals lounge. | |
| class="" href="/1/hi/world/south_asia/7111584.stm">Pakistan relents over Sharif Hundreds of policemen with riot shields and batons were deployed at the airport. | |
| Some of Mr Sharif supporters had been detained and security forces had tried to seal off the airport. | |
| But the BBC's Shoaib Hasan in Lahore says more than a 1,000 of the former prime minister's supporters were able to make their way into the airport terminal, shouting slogans such as "Long live Sharif" and "The Lion has returned". | |
| Our correspondent says that the atmosphere was 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. |
| Thousands of other supporters waving flags and banners lined the road outside the airport to welcome Mr Sharif. | Thousands of other supporters waving flags and banners lined the road outside the airport to welcome Mr Sharif. |
| Government officials said he would be allowed back into the country, after reaching an "understanding" with Gen Musharraf. | Government officials said he would be allowed back into the country, 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 had been tightened in Lahore ahead of Mr Sharif's return. | Security had been tightened in Lahore ahead of Mr Sharif's 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. | 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. | 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. |