Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam were arrested at Lahore airport after arriving from London on Friday night, following their conviction in a corruption case.
Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam were arrested at Lahore airport after arriving from London on Friday night, following their conviction in a corruption case.
Their flight, Etihad Airways flight EY243, landed at Lahore's Allama Iqbal International Airport at around 9:15 pm, as security forces were stationed around the city to prevent mass demonstrations by their political supporters.
According to media reports, dozens of security officials entered the plane after it landed and asked other passengers to leave.
The duo's passports were seized by a three-member FIA team, and both were permitted to meet Begum Shamim Akhtar, Sharif's mother, in the Haj Lounge.
Also read: Nawaz Sharif arrested in Lahore: Here's how things unfolded
The two were convicted on July 6 in the Evenfield properties case linked to the Sharif family's ownership of four luxury flats in London.
Both Sharif, 68, and Maryam, 44, have been sentenced by an accountability court to 10 and 7 years in prison respectively.
Meanwhile, there are reports of clashes between supporters of Sharif and police in Lahore and several other cities. Incidents of stone pelting were also reported in several parts of the country.
Sharif, 68, the supremo of the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz, and Maryam stopped over in Abu Dhabi on their way to Pakistan from London. Their flight from Abu Dhabi to Lahore was delayed by over two and half hours.
Before leaving for Lahore, in a video message, tweeted by 44-year-old Maryam, the former premier urged his followers to stand with him and "change the fate of the country".
"The country is at a critical juncture right now," a grim-looking Sharif said.
"I have done what I could. I am aware that I have been sentenced to 10 years [in prison] and I will be taken to a jail cell straight away. But I want the Pakistani nationals to know that I am doing this for you," he said.
Mayam also took to Twitter to post pictures of the scenes in London before their departure. In one picture retweeted by Maryam, the father and daughter are seen bidding a teary farewell to Kulsoom Nawaz.
Sharif, has been one of the country's leading politicians for most of the past 30 years. He remains popular, especially in Punjab, the most populous and electorally significant province.
The defiant leader questioned the credibility of the July 25 polls amid a crackdown on his supporters.
(With agency inputs)
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