In a dramatic development today, former prime minister and exiled PML(N) leader Nawaz Sharif has been deported to Saudi Arabia. Sharif, who announced his return to Pakistan earlier this month after seven years of exile, was sent back to Saudi Arabia just few hours after his arrival in Pakistan.
He spent around 4 hours at airport, negotiating with Saudi and Pakistani officials. Deportation was certainly one of the options that Government of Pakistan had but not many analysts believed that they would actually go ahead with it. Till the last minute, it appeared from electronic media coverage of the event that Nawaz Sharif will be arrested and jailed and even the arrest warrants were produced and charges were handed over to Nawaz Sharif. We saw visuals of his arrest in which he was man-handled by police officials. But then we heard in a dramatic manner that he is being sent back to Saudi Arabia in a special PIA flight. Now we will see another legal battle if this action is a contempt of Supreme Court of Pakistan’s verdict on Nawaz Sharif’s return in August.
Geo website has this report on the event:
Former Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif was sent back into exile Monday. According to reports he has been sent to Saudi Arabia in a special airplane. Earlier, the flight of former prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharif was landed at Islamabad Airport at the scheduled time of 8:42 am Monday morning. The military and security forces troops were deployed at Islamabad airport. In Islamabad, Police and PML-N workers were engaged in hide and seek and scuffles at various places.
Media men were restricted to parking lot of the airport as the airplane of former prime minister landed at the airport. The interior ministry officials and other top officials of the government were present at the airport on the occasion. Mian Nawaz Sharif traveled in the Club Class from London to Islamabad and before landing at Islamabad he went to the economy class to join the party workers.
Geo News correspondent Azhar Javed who was accompanied with Nawaz Sharif in air journey to Islamabad reported that Muslim League workers surrounded their leader and chanted slogans. Mian Nawaz Sharif later taken out of the airplane from backdoor. A flying coach was parked near the plane, which was cordoned off by the police commandoes, Azhar Javed reported. The former prime minister left the plane after 90 minutes and held talks with the government of Pakistan officials and Saudi government representatives. The matter of his returning back into exile to Saudi Arabia was also discussed but Nawaz Sharif opted to be arrested at home instead of going back into exile.
Later he was detained and sent back to Jeddah by a special airplane.
This entire episode raises many questions in the minds of ordinary Pakistanis. Is this violation of SC order? Why didn’t government just arrest him and put him on trial, if there are any cases against him? What will happen now in court and does this mean that government is going ahead with direct confrontation with superior courts? And what it would mean to already growing confrontation between Army and the civil society? We really don’t know. All we can hope, as an ordinary Pakistani, that may Allah have mercy on Pakistan. I am NO fan of Nawaz, Benazir or most of our politicians because of their past performances but I would rather see people of Pakistan deciding their fate through power of ballet and vote and NOT some individuals sitting in President’s House making decisions. I do not see anything good coming out today’s actions and I think its a big setback to rule of law.
One of ATP reader, Saleem A. Taimoor, made a very valid and appropriate comment on my earlier post on Nawaz Sharif return and I personally share his views. Situation in Pakistan today concludes following:
1. Army has been put in direct confrontation with the civil society.
2. People hate to see green lawns and swimming pools inside the army cantonments as well Mercedes for generals on the streets; where over 40% of the people can’t have one day meal, this new elite is eating up all resources – look at the Defense Housing Authorities, posh livnig styles of the army officers and their families, best schools and hospitals run at Income tax payers money; hate has gone deep within the masses for the army not for the general alone. Musharraf has pulled the army in this quagmire.
3. Tens (if not hundreds) of soldiers have died in armed clashes with civilians and in bomb blasts.
4. Media and the judiciary are being put to test with oppressive measures.
5. Government is ready to take on the judiciary now (starting with today’s deportation of Nawaz). Executive is not ready to obey the judiciary.
6. Youth is getting disconnected with Pakistan – all running around for safe havens abroad or for grabbing too much money to join the elite – the social fabric is quickly disintegrating.
7. The parliament is full of people who are unable to comprehend the social disintegration we are going through.
I am sure there are thousands of others who share the same views. Whether you like or dislike Nawaz Sharif or Benazir, both of them should be free to return to this country and allowed to face any charges against them. It is the people of Pakistan who should decide who they want to elect as their representatives and not some army generals who decide our fate in the name of national security. We want Pakistan to be a Social Welfare State and which was the dream of its founding fathers and NOT a National Security State which, unfortunately, it has become now.
As Adnan Siddiqi rightly pointed out in his blog post, there is a sad and brutal side of this story too. Nawaz Sharif landed, arrested and deported. Musharraf stayed in his office while Nawaz either stayed in plane or in lounge then forced to go back to Saudia. All were having fun time. Who suffered then?See yourself?
May Allah have mercy on Pakistan and its 160 million citizens and give our rulers wisdom to make the right decisions. Ameen.
While many of us are NOT supporters of either NS or BB having been shafted once too often, nevertheless, they have the right to defend themselves against charges in a Pakistani courts. SC ruling to that effect has been undermined.
Today?s event confirms what many of us had long believed: Pakistan is trapped in the deadend zones of anarchy and state goondagardi.
Even the human cost has not deterred our bigwig generals from pursuing these backward games of goondagardi. For them, the ends justify the means, no matter how barbaric or costly, so long as they can keep their kursi and thereby their hands in the national cookie jar.
The point that needs to be understood is that our Military Inc has put up our native country as a collateral to Uncle Sam, and we have indeed become a colony once again.
It is time to dismantle this monstrous fa?ade that has brought us shame and disunity. The generals at the top are bent on vengeance and to siphon off our resources and further shattering our national image. It is time to break this vicious, once and for all.
There is a lesson in all this for the people of Pakistan, that is, politics is too serious a business to be left alone to the generals.
May Allah (SWT) protect Pakistan!
Yes, it’s a tough road for the Pakistanis!
Living abroad is difficult as they are treated as third-rated citizens. However, living in Pakistan is not that easy either.
One has to know how to make things work if you want to be “successful” in Pakistan. You are forced to find a friend here and another there even to get an NIC within your busy life, particularly if you work in the private sector. Don’t ever think that you shall live a calm and peaceful life if you are doing everything legal in your life; you could be grabbed by a policeman by the collar and pulled out of your car even if you have committed nothing! The Pakistanis living abroad (particularly those who want to come back after decades of hard work) could bring a lot of zeal (and investment of course that could be used to build Pakistan); but they are in lots of uncertainties.
But hey, despite all these difficulties, both (us in Pakistan and the ones living abroad) need to work on education and awareness…probably the only thing I can think of that could brig fruit to us and our generations?that has never been a priority of any government, may it be military or civilians. The fact is that what we sowed in our education sector in the seventies and eighties is being reaped now.
We should spend more on education, may it be from our own pockets (for those who can afford, if the government doesn’t do it) or from the overseas Pakistanis. We need to educate Pakistan if we want to make them aware of their rights?modern Turkey is an example. However, we might have to be patient; we could see the results in 20-25 years of what we invest in this sector today…
Believe me, there in no better way, none that I know apart from investing time, money, energies, just everything on educating today’s Pakistan. It may seem late but worth a try…no matter whatever way you do it.
With the current social system and educational lacking, we shall keep producing “weak” personalities that may not be able to ?lead? us – some will succumb to the pressures of their own corruption, some to wrong decision making, others to playboy image, yet some others to limited religious thinking … as long as our social and educational system keeps producing weak personalities, we may not be able to rebound.
“Khuda nay aaj tak us qaum ki halat nahin badli…”
Thnx to Justice Qayyum (a corrupt since birth) he is pulling strings in Bar association using public money resulting into divisions. Thnx to Gora ….Divide & Rule
I dont know what would be FATE of the country where judiciary is targetted & violated by state!!!!
What a circus … there can be no doubts about the designs of present government. As rightly pointed out in the post, the govt has decided to strike against the courts as well.
sir…then having a democratic society will not reach you on bed of roses…..