Why must I go to the Hindustan Times of India for this?
Why isn't it in my Amerikan papers?
"Hundreds detained in Pakistan ahead of Sharif's return" September 08, 2007
Pakistani police detained hundreds of opposition workers on Saturday and banned rallies two days before former premier Nawaz Sharif was due to arrive home to challenge what he calls the 'illegitimate rule' of President General Pervez Musharraf.
Ahsan Iqbal, the Information Secretary for Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) party:
"More than 1,500 of our party leaders and workers have been picked up during the last three days in raids across the country."
Musharraf is already experiencing a sharp slump in his popularity. PML-N and several other opposition parties have vowed to give Sharif a rousing welcome on his return. About 300 PML-N workers were held by police in Rawalpindi alone, in a bid to thwart the plan.
The authorities have also imposed a ban on the assembly of five or more persons in public places in the Punjab province, where tens of thousands are expected to take to streets to greet Sharif.
Iqbal said: "We cannot be intimidated by such tactics, and our workers will arrive at the airport to greet their leader."
The security forces will seal all the roads around Islamabad airport to prevent people from gathering there, a senior police official said on condition of anonymity. The government is planning to arrest Sharif at the airport."
