 Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was on Monday arrested and deported to Saudi Arabia four-and-a-half hours after he arrived in Islamabad from London to challenge the rule of President General Pervez Musharraf.
PIA flight PK-786, carrying the former prime minister, his party workers and journalists, landed at 8:45am at Islamabad International Airport, but Nawaz refused to leave the aircraft for about 90 minutes.
| "Don't make me go out there!" |
All other passengers were allowed to leave the plane and a team of officials, accompanied by black-uniformed commandos, went on board to “discuss various options” with Nawaz.
| "You can go hard, or you can go easy, but you're goin'!" |
Surrounded by the commandos, Nawaz eventually stepped off the aircraft and was frog marched escorted to the Rawal Lounge, where he refused to hand over his passport to immigration officials. Sources said officials again held talks with him but he remained steadfast in his decision to stay in Pakistan.
| "Youse can't toss me! Do youse know who I am?" |
An official said Nawaz was shown arrest warrants for corruption and money laundering charges and a copy of his 2000 exile agreement. “Government officials and some Saudi officials held talks with him for about two hours,” a source said.
"See that? It sez we won't hit you if you leave the country and don't come back!"
"I left the country!"
"You came back, too. Mahmoud! Hit him!"
"Owwwwwww!" |
AFP adds: Nawaz later arrived in Jeddah, where the official SPA news agency reported: “Nawaz Sharif is a guest of Saudi Arabia, which welcomed his coming to live in the kingdom forever and ever once again.” He was greeted by Saudi intelligence chief Prince Muqrin, SPA said. |