LAHORE – Did Shahbaz Sharif ditch Nawaz Sharif today or Lahore ditchedboth Sharifs?
Shahbaz Sharif failed to reach Airport and only a rally of around 5,000 PMLN supporters was with him.
A rally headed by former Punjab CM and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)president with large number of party workers failed to reach Allama IqbalInternational Airport as the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrestedformer PM and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawazminutes after they landed in Lahore.
The former Punjab CM’s rally which started from Lohari Gate aiming to reachLahore airport but the provincial authorities had imposed Section 144across the province to deter any untoward situation.
Containers were placed at various roads and cross sections, while roadsleading to the airport were blocked to stop the PML-N rally.The Metro bus service in the city also remained suspended.
During the rally, clashes erupted between the PML-N workers andlaw-enforcement agencies, resultantly, at least 15 people including severalpolicemen were injured when the police resorted to shelling to disperse themob who pelted stones at the law enforcement personnel at Joray Bridge.
As Shahbaz Sharif’s rally failed to reach airport to accord rousing welcometo the party supremo, the NAB arrested Nawaz Sharif and his daughter MaryamNawaz minutes after they landed at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal InternationalAirport.
The father-daughter duo had returned to Pakistan from London for the firsttime after being convicted in the Avenfield property case.Nawaz and Maryam were served with a legal warrant as soon as they enteredPakistan s airspace.
Earlier, the PML-N supremo and his daughter made a brief stay at the AbuDhabi airport where their flight was delayed for nearly three hours. Theylanded at Lahore s Allama Iqbal International Airport at 9.10 pm IST viaEtihad Airways flight EY243.
The Avenfield reference is one of the three corruption references, filed bythe National Accountability Bureau(NAB) on orders of the Supreme Court ofPakistan (SCP), which disqualified Nawaz Sharif, ousting him frompremiership and finding him guilty in the Panama Paper case verdict.