Nawaz Sharif arrested after flying home to face jail

Lahore : Pakistani authorities arrested ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam on Friday night shortly after they returned to face lengthy prison sentences, hoping galvanise their beleaguered party ahead of a July 25 election.

Uniformed men escorted the Sharifs, who were sentenced in absentia on corruption charges last week, from the airplane soon after it  touched down in the central city of Lahore at around 8:45 pm, a Reuters reporter on the plane said.

Local Geo TV reported the pair were placed under arrest shortly afterwards and taken to another waiting airplane to be transported out of Lahore, where more than 10,000 Sharif supporters were gathered to support him.

The Sharifs’ return could shake up an election race marred by accusations Pakistan’s powerful military is working behind the scenes to skew the contest in favor of ex-cricket hero Imran Khan, who  describes Sharif as a “criminal” who deserves no support.

Sharif alleges the military is aiding a “judicial witch-hunt” against him and his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party.