Nawaz Sharif under house arrest

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's government on Sunday issued orders to put former premier and main opposition PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif under house arrest for three days to prevent him from leading the "long-march" by lawyers and political activists.

Sources were quoted by TV news channels as saying the orders were issued early this morning. There was no official word on the development. However, the whereabouts of Sharif could not immediately be ascertained.

Sharif's brother, former Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, reached Rawalpindi this morning to join the long march but his motorcade was stopped at a police picket. Reports said he could be detained in the garrison city.

Despite an announcement by the ruling Pakistan People's Party that it would file a review petition challenging the Supreme Court's order barring PML-N leaders Nawaz and Shahbaz Sharif from electoral politics, the former premier told his supporters last night that he might be detained to stop him from joining the long march.

"I may be arrested or put under house arrest. But you should try to reach Islamabad," Sharif told hundreds of supporters in Lahore last night.