Nawaz Sharif returns latest updates: Ex-Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam are being reportedly taken to Islamabad in a special plane. Some reports also claimed that the duo might be taken to Rawalpindi. A clarity on the same will be available in a short while. Nawaz Sharif and Maryam were arrested by the NAB team at the Lahore airport. Their passports have been confiscated. According to various media reports, the Etihad Airways flight carrying Maryam and Nawaz has landed at Lahore airport. A team of National Accountability Bureau lead by DG Lahore, NAB Saleem Shahzad has arrived at the airport. Maryam and Nawaz will be arrested shortly. PML-N supporters enroute Lahore airport have clashed with local forces near Bhatta Chowk area, following which the police baton charged the supportersof Nawaz Sharif and Maryam. Tear gas shells were also fired. Former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam have boarded the flight to Lahore. They are expected to arrive at around 8.30 pm (IST). In an interview to a Pakistani newspaper, Nawaz Sharif said that there was never a case against him and the whole Panama paper scandal was raked up to ‘fix him to fix the politics of Pakistan.’ He said that his conviction in the corruption case was purely motivated by a game of blind revenge. Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif said that he is coming back for the future generations of Pakistan. Meanwhile, the Pakistani authorities have stopped a convoy of PML-N supporters coming from Faisalabad. They were headed for the Lahore airport. The authorities have deployed Pakistan Rangers at the airport to foil any protests after the former prime minister arrives. Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz have been held at the Abu Dhabi airport, reports have said. The duo have been reportedly confined to the first class lounge at the airport. According to The News International, the Lahore High Court on Friday ordered the Punjab government to release the detained PML-N workers by 2 pm (2.30 pm IST). During the proceedings, the court was told that 141 persons were detained by the law enforcement agencies as per the report. Owing to the “sensitive” nature of Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam’s return to Pakistan, Punjab officials have decided to suspend mobile services in some parts of Lahore from 3 pm to 11 pm. PTI chief Imran Khan on Thursday said that whoever goes to receive ousted Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz at the Lahore airport “must be a donkey”. “Nawaz and his daughter are not coming to Pakistan after winning laurels for the country but as convicted criminals who had stolen the nation’s Rs300 billion and laundered money abroad. Nawaz Sharif is trying to pose himself as Nelson Mandela,” a Dawn report quoted him as saying. The National Accountability Bureau has arranged two helicopters for shifting former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz to Islamabad after arresting them upon their entry into Pakistan, reported Geo News. Coincidentally, it is the same chopper Sharif used while he was in power. According to Interior Ministry sources, their names have also been put on the Exit Control List (ECL). In a video taken aboard his flight to Abu Dhabi from London, former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif said that he will be taken to the jail straight from the airport and that he was doing it for the people of Pakistan. “I’ll be taken straight to jail. But I’m doing this for people of Pakistan, sacrificing for generations to come. Such opportunity won’t come again. Let’s build destiny of Pakistan together,” he said. Quoting Dunya News, Newsweek Pakistan reported that Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz will be held in Adiala Jail for one day and then be imprisoned in Attock Jail. Ousted Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam arrived at the Abu Dhabi airport earlier Friday morning from London. The father-daughter duo, both sentenced to lengthy jail terms in absentia, are due to return to Pakistan later today in a high-stakes gamble to galvanise their beleaguered party ahead of a July 25 general election. According to Dawn.com, the Sharifs are expected to arrive in Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport at 6.15 pm. Nawaz and Maryam will be flying from Abu Dhabi to Lahore on Etihad Airways flight EY243. Authorities have mobilised more than 10,000 police officers ahead of their arrival and plan to block roads with shipping containers to shut down the city of Lahore. Supporters of Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party say they will march to the airport there, where the former prime minister is due to land, in defiance of a ban on all public rallies. Sharif is returning from Britain one week after an anti-corruption court handed him a 10-year jail term over the purchase of luxury London flats and sentenced his daughter and political heir to seven years in prison. Their return could shake up an election race marred by claims Pakistan’s powerful military was skewing the contest in favour of ex-cricket hero Imran Khan. Sharif alleges the military is aiding a “judicial witchhunt” against him and his PML-N party. The party’s past five years in power has been punctuated by the civil-military discord that has plagued Pakistan since its inception. “Nawaz really believes this is about democracy and his legacy,” Musadik Malik, Sharif ally and former PML-N cabinet minister, told Reuters. “That is why he is willing to lose 10 years of his life over this.” Sharif’s PML-N expects a groundswell of support as he returns from London, where his wife Kulsoom is critically ill and undergoing cancer treatment. To prevent PML-N workers staging a hero’s welcome on the streets, authorities said they will arrest the father and daughter upon landing and transport them to the capital Islamabad by helicopter, local media reported. Ousted Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, appears with his daughter Maryam, at a news conference at a hotel in London, Britain July 11, 2018. REUTERS/Hannah McKay Party officials say the police have started a crackdown against them, detaining hundreds of workers in the early hours on Friday. Recent opinion polls suggest PML-N has lost its lead nationally to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party of arch-rival Khan, whose anti-corruption message has resonated with many Pakistanis. Khan has painted Sharif as a “criminal” who has looted the state for decades, and welcomes his prison term as overdue accountability. Sharif was ordered jailed after failing to explain how the family acquired the London flats in a case stemming from 2016 Panama Papers revelations that showed they owned the apartments through off-shore companies. Maryam was convicted for concealing ownership of the apartments. The both deny wrongdoing. Military favourite Sharif, 68, has cast himself as a defender of democracy, a far cry from the start of his political life when he was the protege of military dictator General Zia ul-Haq and had his career nurtured by the generals in the 1980s. He was elected prime minister in 1990-93. A second stint in power was ended by a military coup in 1999, prompting a period in jail for Sharif and years in exile in London. When he returned to power in 2013, he clashed with the military over how to deal with Islamist militants and his desire for friendlier relations with arch-foe India. After the Supreme Court disqualified Sharif in July 2017 for not declaring a small source of income which he denied receiving, he toured the nuclear-armed country urging voters to protect the “sanctity of the vote”. “Despite seeing the bars of prison in front of my eyes, I am going to Pakistan,” Sharif told Pakistani journalists this week in London, where he vowed to re-assert “civilian supremacy”. The opposition Pakistan People Party (PPP) has also alleged “pre-poll rigging” this week, but did not specifically name the armed forces. Ousted Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif (UNSEEN), appears with his daughter Maryam, at a news conference at a hotel in London, Britain July 11, 2018. REUTERS/Hannah McKay The military, which has ruled Pakistan for about half its history since 1947, has denied interfering in modern-day politics. It plans to place 371,000 soldiers around polling stations so there can a “free and fair” elections, it added. “We are winning” Sharif’s return comes at a time of dwindling fortunes for his party, which one year ago was considered a run-away favourite to retain power. After the Supreme Court ousted Sharif last July, the courts barred him from heading the PML-N party he founded. His brother Shehbaz became PML-N’s president, but Sharif remains the power behind the throne. Since then, a host of his allies have been either disqualified by the courts, or face corruption cases. Many PML-N lawmakers have also defected to Khan’s party. PML-N has also been riven by internal divisions. Sections of the party oppose Sharif’s combative approach against the army and fear it will turn off voters in a deeply conservative and patriotic Muslim nation of 208 million people. The kind of reception Sharif receives on the streets of Lahore will be viewed carefully in Pakistan, where political popularity is often measured by the size of rallies that politicians can attract. PML-N leaders say authorities have began a crackdown against union council leaders, the street-level party workers who bring out people on the streets. “Those who think they can scare us…open your ears and hear this: we are winning this election,” Shehbaz Sharif told reporters in Lahore on Thursday. With inputs from Reuters
Nawaz Sharif returns to Pakistan updates: Maryam, ex-PM reach Islamabad; airport completely sealed for outsiders
Ex-Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam are being reportedly taken to Islamabad in a special plane. Some reports also claimed that the duo might be taken to Rawalpindi. A clarity on the same will be available in a short while.
 "Nawaz Sharif returns to Pakistan updates: Maryam, ex-PM reach Islamabad; airport completely sealed for outsiders")
Nawaz Sharif, Maryam moved from Lahore airport in a special plane
Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz were moved from Lahore via a special plane by the officials of National Accountability Bureau (NAB). They are headed to the New Islamabad airport. However, some reports claimed they may also be taken to Rawalpindi to be lodged in the Adiala prison. The duo was arrested at the Haj lounge of Allama Iqbal airport. However, the officials did not handcuff the two as they cooperated with the officials.
Watch: Maryam Nawaz, ex-Pakistan PM surrender to NAB officials
Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz surrendered; their passports have been confiscated
Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz have been detained by the NAB officials. The duo courted arrest peacefully and cooperated with the authorities. Their passports have been confiscated and they will be taken to Islamabad later, either by a chopper or a private jet depending on the weather conditions.
List of NAB officers part of team at Lahore airport to arrest Nawaz Sharif, Maryam
Nawaz Sharif, M****aryam land at Lahore airport
The Etihad Airways flight carrying Maryam and Nawaz Sharif has landed at the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore. A team of National Accountability Bureau lead by DG Lahore, NAB Saleem Shahzad has arrived at the airport. Maryam and Nawaz will be arrested shortly.
Watch: NAB officials had made alternate arrangements at Islamabad Airport
Etihad Airways flight carrying Nawaz Sharif, Maryam diverted to Islamabad
According to various media reports, the Etihad Airways flight carrying Maryam and Nawaz is being diverted to Islamabad after scores of PML-N supporters descended on the streets of Lahore. The last moment revelation will prevent any violent protests or demonstration against the PML-N leadership’s arrest.
Lahore court orders release of detained PML-N workers
Earlier in the day, a Lahore court ordered the release of hundreds of members of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party who handle street-level organising. Police on Thursday swept through Lahore to arrest more than 300 workers of the PML-N party, and detained several even today. The police action came in the garb of “avoiding law and order problem”, ahead of the arrival of party founder Nawaz Sharif. However, the court took a different view. Besides, prominent journalists and even politicians cutting across party lines said that the party workers’ constitutional right to assemble should not be curtailed.
First arrests and now cell phone services switched off in DHA Lahore to counter a party that's renowned for its inability to mobilize large crowds. Truly blessed with idiots all around.
— Umair Javed (@umairjav) July 13, 2018
More clashes in Lahore: PML-N supporters baton charged by police near Bhatta Chowk; tear gas shells fired
PML-N supporters enroute Lahore airport have clashed with local forces near Bhatta Chowk area, following which the police baton charged the supportersof Nawaz Sharif and Maryam. Tear gas shells were also fired.
Chaos in Lahore as Nawaz nears his home state; 5 policemen injured in clashes with PML-N supporters
Five policemen are reportedly injured in Pakistan’s Lahore after PML-N supporters attacked the forces for blocking their way. Charged PML-N workers lead by Khurram Dastagir attacked the forces blocking entry into the city at Lahore’s Shahdara Gate. The injured policemen were taken to Mayo Hospital in Lahore.
Lahore: PML-N supporters arrive with a crane to remove blockades enroute airport
According to sources, PML-N sources arrived at Canal Road in Lahore to remove the heavy containers placed to block roads leading to the airports. Hundreds of PML-N supporters are trying to reach Lahore airport to welcome their leader, who is convicted in a corruption case.
Nawaz Sharif says blind revenge behind his conviction, slams draconian crackdown on PML-N supporters
In an interview to a Pakistani newspaper, Nawaz Sharif said that there was never a case against him and the whole Panama paper scandal was raked up to ‘fix him to fix the politics of Pakistan.’ He said that his conviction in the corruption case was purely motivated by a game of blind revenge. “This was neither a case nor there is a verdict. This is a game of blind revenge, which is continuing. There is no case against me, there never was. The whole Panama case was started to fix politics and to take me out because I wanted a stronger democracy,” Sharif told The News International before leaving from London.
Watch: Shahid Khaqan Abbasi reaches Lahore’s Mall road with PML-N supporters
Nawaz, Maryam depart from Abu Dhabi airport
Etihad Airways flight number EY243, in which Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz are travelling to Lahore has taken off from the Abu Dhabi airport. According to the revised schedule, the flight is expected to land in Lahore at 9.18 pm (IST).
Watch: Security beefed up outside Adiala prison in Rawalpindi
Nawaz Sharif, Maryam board flight to Lahore; will reach around 9.30 pm (IST)
Former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam have boarded the flight to Lahore. They are expected to arrive at around 8.30 pm (IST). The Sharifs are running behind the schedule by roughly two hours, owing to a flight delay. The duo is expected to be arrested on arrival.
Nawaz supporters enroute airport, brother Shehbaz Sharif also present
A throng of PML-N supporters led by the former chief minister of Punjab, Shehbaz Sharif has departed towards Lahore airport to welcome Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz. The supporters are unlikely to be allowed inside as the tough security measures have been undertaken to ensure that Nawaz and Maryam could be detained and jailed without any hassle.
Meanwhile, brother of ex-Balochistan CM killed at the bombing in Mastung rally
Siraj Raisani, the younger brother of former Balochistan chief minister Nawab Aslam Raisani. was killed in a bomb attack at his election rally in the Mastung district of the restive Pakistani province of Balochistan. Fourteen others also lost their lives while dozens are reportedly injured. Raisani was a candidate of the recently-formed Balochistan Awami Party from PB-35 constituency.
It was the second election-related bombing Friday in this Islamic nation. Earlier, four people were killed and 20 others wounded in a bombing near the rally of Akram Khan Durrani, who is running for a seat in parliament from the northwestern city of Bannu.
Reports say Nawaz, Maryam weren’t detained at Abu Dhabi; holding deliberations with supporters at a hotel
Nawaz Sharif and Maryam have gone to a hotel near the airport in Abu Dhabi. They have not been arrested and they are holding consultations with some unidentified people as well as some PML-N workers, news agency ANI reported. The duo are expected to board a flight to Pakistan with a three-member NAB team on board. They will be arrested as soon as they touch Pakistani soil.
Meanwhile, an explosion at an election rally in Mastung killed 5, injured dozens
Five people were killed and around 30, including Siraj Raisani, were injured on Friday when an explosion hit an election gathering in Darengarh area of Mastung in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province.
Raisani, a candidate of the recently-formed Balochistan Awami Party from PB-35 constituency, is the younger brother of former Balochistan chief minister Nawab Aslam Raisani. He is said to have sustained serious injuries, Geo TV reported.
Nawaz Sharif expected to arrive at 8.30 pm IST; will be arrested from the runway
According to Pakistani news website The News International, following a two-hour delay, Nawaz and Maryam’s flight is expected to land in Lahore at 8.30 pm IST. Reports say that the former Pakistani prime minister will be whisked away by helicopter to the federal capital of Islamabad via a chopper. He will then be sent to the Adiala prison.
‘Coming back for future generations of Pakistan’
#WATCH Former Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif speaks to the media at Abu Dhabi airport, says, "I am coming back for the future generations of Pakistan. Mein karz chukane aa raha hun jo mujh par wajib hai." pic.twitter.com/fdFDVzgmxr
— ANI (@ANI) July 13, 2018
‘Doing what I should do’, says Nawaz Sharif
Nawaz Sharif, according to ANI, said, “I am doing what I should do, I am taking my struggle forward.”
“I am going to Pakistan, but what credibility is now left of the elections? Who will believe the results?” he asked.
Nawaz Sharif really believes this is about democracy, says close aide
“Nawaz really believes this is about democracy and his legacy,” Musadik Malik, Sharif ally and former PML-N cabinet minister, told Reuters. “That is why he is willing to lose 10 years of his life over this,” he added.
In Pictures: An image of former Pakistani PM, his daughter on the bedside of an ailing Kulsoom Nawaz
This picture will haunt many in future. Remember. pic.twitter.com/44LwcQJCsF
— Rabia Anum Obaid (@RabiaAnumm) July 12, 2018
Punjab’s caretaker govt denies acting in a biased manner, says PML-N workers shouldn’t take law in own hand
The caretaker home minister in the interim Punjab government held a press conference on Friday to refute allegations that the authorities were acting in a biased manner. “The caretaker government is completely unbiased and we don’t support any specific political party,” home minister Shaukat Javed said.
He added that people were stopped from visiting the airport because it was a sensitive area and he advised the PML-N supporters to refrain from taking law in their own hands.
Shehbaz Sharif writes to caretaker CM of Punjab over arrests of PML-N workers
PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif wrote a letter to the caretaker prime minister of Punjab Province, Dr. Hassan Askari, to protest against the large-scale arrests of his party workers. He alleged that the caretaker government was indulging in the action to stop PML-N from participating in elections and campaigning properly. The government’s actions, he said. were to benefit a particular political party, (apparently Imran Khan-led PTI).
At Adiala prison, Nawaz and Maryam will have to apply for better jail facilities
According to a report Dawn, the current prison rules in Punjab province, Nawaz Sharif may be allowed to serve his term in a ‘Better Class’ category cell, s by virtue of being a former parliamentarian. However, he will have to give a written application for the same. Meanwhile, Maryam can only request the privilege if she can prove that she has paid at least Rs 600,000 as annual income tax, the report said.
Those lodged in the ‘Better Class jails’ are entitled to books and newspapers, a 21-inch television, a table and a chair, a mattress, personal bedding and clothing and food. However, the prisoner must pay for these services themselves. Maryam’s husband, Captain Safdar (retd) is also lodged in the same jail and is eligible for the better class cell by the virtue of being a former army man. He, however, has not applied for the facility yet.
Punjab Police issues detention orders of PML-N leaders
The police force in Pakistan’s Punjab province has issued detention orders for senior PML-N leaders. Local media reports claim that several important leaders have either been detained or have been placed under informal house arrest to prevent them from mobilising supporters ahead of Nawaz Sharif and Maryam’s arrival.
Nawaz Sharif says left behind an unconscious ailing wife, ready for any eventuality
In a footage aired by NDTV, Nawaz Sharif can be heard as saying that he is arriving in Pakistan with a goal. He said that the people of Pakistan and the media should also take a stand. He said that he has left the side of his ailing wife while she was unconscious. “I am coming back with a purpose,” Nawaz was heard telling someone on phone.
NAB team to arrest Nawaz and Maryam soon upon arrival; will be shifted to Attock Fort
According to a report by Dunya News, a three-member team of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has reached Abu Dhabi to arrest Nawaz and Maryam. The NAB team will keep the duo in Adiala Jail for one day and then will shift them to Attock Fort.
The NAB team, headed by Amjad Ali, also includes women police officers to accompany Maryam. The duo will be arrested as soon as they arrive in Pakistan and will be shifted to Adiala jail through a helicopter. A letter has also been dispatched to the Accountability Court (AC) judge Muhammad Bashir to reach Adiala jail on 13 July.
Nawaz Sharif’s grandson Junaid Safdar released by London Police after brief detention
The London Police has released without charge Maryam Nawaz’s son Junaid Safdar and Zakaria Sharif, son of Hussain Nawaz, after arresting them on Thursday night following a brawl with protesters outside the Avenfield apartments. Maryam and Nawaz have been sentenced to a prison term in their home state for allegedly amassing huge wealth outside Pakistan.
French MPs call for social media ban for under-15s, digital curfew for teenagers
A French committee suggests banning social media for kids under 15 and a nighttime digital curfew for teens 15-18. The report cites concerns about TikTok's effects on minors. President Macron backs the ban, akin to Australia's proposed law.
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