Disgraced former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif heads straight to jail over corruption conviction after returning to the country from London

  • Nawaz Sharif was cuffed along with daughter Maryam after flying into Lahore
  • The pair were handed lengthy jail sentences on corruption charges last week
  • Sharif returns during a tense election run-up that has caused surge of bombings  
  • There are fears Pakistan's military is skewing the contest in favour of cricketer

Ousted Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was arrested after flying back to Lahore to face a lengthy prison sentence.

His daughter Maryam was also arrested after the pair were were sentenced in absentia on corruption charges last week.

It comes on the day Pakistan was rocked by a series of deadly bomb attacks targeting political figures ahead of a general election on July 25.

Nawaz Sharif, seen here at a 2017 rally, was immediately arrested after flying into Lahore. Last week, he was sentenced to 10 years in jail by an anti-corruption court

Nawaz Sharif, seen here at a 2017 rally, was immediately arrested after flying into Lahore. Last week, he was sentenced to 10 years in jail by an anti-corruption court

Some 10,000 supporters assembled to greet ex-PM Nawaz Sharif but were prevented from seeing him by military forces as part of a citywide crackdown on public gatherings

Some 10,000 supporters assembled to greet ex-PM Nawaz Sharif but were prevented from seeing him by military forces as part of a citywide crackdown on public gatherings

More than 10,000 Sharif supporters were gathered to greet the disgraced PM who was returning from London, where his wife Kulsoom is undergoing cancer treatment.

Reuters reported that clashes had broke out between pro-Sharif protesters and police who had been deployed in their thousands.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

Sharif's arrival comes in the run-up to a tense general election that has prompted a wave of deadly attacks across the country.

Earlier on Friday, a suicide bomb at a political rally in Mastung killed 85 people and injured more than 100.

Sharif was jailed in a case stemming from 2016 Panama Papers revelations that showed he and his daughter Maryam owned London apartments through off-shore companies

Sharif was jailed in a case stemming from 2016 Panama Papers revelations that showed he and his daughter Maryam owned London apartments through off-shore companies

Sharif arrived on a day when 85 people died in a suicide bombing claimed by ISIS at a political rally in Pakistan ahead of nationwide polls later this month

Sharif arrived on a day when 85 people died in a suicide bombing claimed by ISIS at a political rally in Pakistan ahead of nationwide polls later this month

More than 100 were wounded in the attack in Mastung including this man being rushed into Quetta hospital earlier

More than 100 were wounded in the attack in Mastung including this man being rushed into Quetta hospital earlier

Siraj Raisani, who was running for the election on the Baluchistan Awami Party ticket, was named among the dead in a blast claimed by ISIS.

Hours beforehand another bomb killed at least four people at a campaign in Bannu, near the Afghan border.

Another 39 were injured when athe explosive hidden inside a motorcycle detonated near the convoy of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal candidate Akram Khan Durrani, who survived.

On Tuesday, a bomb claimed by the Pakistani Taliban targeted a rally by Awami National Party leader Haroon Bilour in Peshawar died along with 21 others. 

In preparation of Sharif's arrival, his brother Shehbaz led around 10,000 supporters on a march in defiance of a citywide ban on public gatherings.

Sharif has decried tactics ordered by the caretaker government that took over in June ahead of the general election. 

'What credibility will these elections have when the government is taking such a drastic action against our people and this crackdown is taking place all over the country?' he said in Abu Dhabi en route to Lahore.

Pakistan's third major political movement, the Pakistan Peoples Party, joined the criticism of the crackdown, with its prime ministerial candidate Bilawal Bhutto Zardari questioning why Sharif's supporters would be prevented from gathering. 

Retired cricketer Imran Khan of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party is leading the opposition fight against Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party

Retired cricketer Imran Khan of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party is leading the opposition fight against Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party

'Why is Lahore under siege? Right to peaceful protest is fundamental for democracy,' tweeted Bhutto Zardari, the son of two-time prime minister Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated at a political rally in 2007.

There are accusations Pakistan's powerful military is working behind the scenes to skew the contest in favour of ex-cricket hero Imran Khan, who has branded Sharif a 'criminal'.

The country's media regulator warned local news channels to abstain from airing statements 'by political leadership containing defamatory and derogatory content targeting ... judiciary and armed forces.'

Sharif was handed a 10-year jail term by an anti-corruption court.

His daughter and political heir was given seven years in prison for failing to prove that money used to buy luxury flats in London in the 1990s was not ill-gotten.

Sharif alleges the military is aiding a 'judicial witch-hunt' against him and his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party.

The party's past five years in power has been punctuated by the civil-military discord that has plagued Pakistan since its inception.

The military, which has ruled Pakistan for about half its history since 1947, has denied interfering in modern-day politics. 

It plans to place 371,000 soldiers around polling stations so there can a 'free and fair' elections, an army spokesman said this week.  

Sharif was returning from Britain where his wife Kulsoom is undergoing cancer treatment

Sharif was returning from Britain where his wife Kulsoom is undergoing cancer treatment

Sharif's return comes at a time of dwindling fortunes for his party, which a year ago was considered a run-away favourite to retain power.

Recent opinion polls suggest Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz is losing its lead nationally to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party of arch-rival Khan, whose anti-corruption message has resonated with many Pakistanis.

Sharif was ordered jailed in a case stemming from 2016 Panama Papers revelations that showed they owned the apartments through off-shore companies. 

Maryam was convicted for concealing ownership of the apartments. They both deny wrongdoing. 

After the Supreme Court ousted Sharif last July, the courts barred him from heading the PML-N party he founded. 

His brother Shehbaz became PML-N's president, but Sharif remains the power behind the throne.

Since then, a host of his allies have been either disqualified by the courts, or face corruption cases. Many PML-N lawmakers have also defected to Khan's party.

PML-N has also been riven by internal divisions. 

Sections of the party oppose Sharif's combative approach against the army and fear it will turn off voters in a deeply conservative and patriotic Muslim nation of 208 million people. 

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