Here in Islamabad, the airport has been sealed off, mobile phones jammed, and demonstrators kept far far away as former-Pakistan premier, Nawaz Sharif, attempts a triumphant return to the country he left in disgrace almost eight years ago.
Sharif’s plane has landed and is surrounded by troops, but nothing is yet known about his fate. Still on board, we presume, is the man himself, a handful of his supporters and as many journalists as have been able to grab a boarding pass (more are following on a sure-to-be-delayed Gulf flight).
The Musharraf government has three options. Let Sharif make his planned procession to his heartland in Lahore – a three-day jamboree of potentially momentous political significance. Arrest Sharif and take him to a cell that has, we are told, been prepared in the Attock Fort. Or, arrest and deport to a sympathetic country, probably Saudi Arabia.
The betting is on the third option, though this puts Musharraf back on a collision course with the Supreme Court, which recently released a decision allowing Sharif to return. A contempt of court ruling would be a huge embarrassment for the embattled President, whose troubles date from his abortive attempt to sack the Court’s Chief Justice, Iftikkhar Muhammad Chaudhry.
One interesting wrinkle: Nawaz Sharif was due to travel with his brother Shahbaz Sharif. At Heathrow, however, Nawaz ordered his brother not to board the plane. Shahbaz made great play of his reluctance to miss the flight, but also of his willingness to obey his party leader’s decision.
Expect to hear a lot from Shahbaz later today, who will have ready access to the media in London, even if his brother spends his day far from a microphone.
Reports suggest that around a hundred supporters from Sharif’s party have been arrested as they attempted to march on the airport. Those carted away include parliamentarians and other senior party members…
