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Sharif Vows to End Dictatorship

Ex-PM lands in Lahore amid thousands of supporters, will file nomination papers

By Caroline Zimmerman,  Newser User

Posted Nov 25, 2007 10:31 AM CST
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(Newser) – Former Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif touched down in Lahore after eight years in exile and, amid the cheers of thousands, vowed to end the dictatorship of President Pervez Musharraf: "We want democracy and nothing else."  Musharraf blocked Sharif's last  attempted return, in September, deporting him before he made it out of the airport, but this time bowed to Saudi pressure.

Sharif was to discuss a boycott of the upcoming January 8 elections with Pakistan's other key opposition leader and recently-returned ex-PM, Benazir Bhutto, who recently failed in attempts to forge a power-sharing deal with Musharraf, but the Times of India reports that both are to file nomination papers tomorrow. The elections, already considered questionable under emergency rule, would lose all credibility if both leaders boycott.

Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif waves to his supporters at Lahore airport in Pakistan after returning from exile on Sunday, Nov. 25, 2007. Sharif returned home to a chaotic and jubilant welcome Sunday, and wasted little time taking the fight to the man who ousted him, saying emergency conditions...
Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif waves to his supporters at Lahore airport in Pakistan after returning from exile on Sunday, Nov. 25, 2007. Sharif returned home to a chaotic and jubilant...   (Associated Press)
In this photo released by the Saudi News Agency, Pakistani opposition leader Nawaz Sharif is greeted by Saudi King Abdullah before he leaves his exile in Riyadah, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, Nov 25 , 2007. Sharif headed home Sunday after years in exile, the latest political heavyweight to join Pakistan's deepening power...
In this photo released by the Saudi News Agency, Pakistani opposition leader Nawaz Sharif is greeted by Saudi King Abdullah before he leaves his exile in Riyadah, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, Nov 25 , 2007....   (Associated Press)
Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, center, waves to his supporters at Lahore airport in Pakistan, after his return from exile on Sunday, Nov. 25, 2007. Sharif returned home to a chaotic and jubilant welcome Sunday, and wasted little time taking the fight to the man who ousted him, saying...
Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, center, waves to his supporters at Lahore airport in Pakistan, after his return from exile on Sunday, Nov. 25, 2007. Sharif returned home to a chaotic and...   (Associated Press)
Supporters of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif chant slogans outside Iqbal International Airport in Lahore, Pakistan on Sunday, Nov. 25, 2007. Police detained supporters of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and sealed off the airport ahead of his return from exile, a reminder that President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's emergency...
Supporters of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif chant slogans outside Iqbal International Airport in Lahore, Pakistan on Sunday, Nov. 25, 2007. Police detained supporters of former Prime Minister...   (Associated Press)
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More information on Sharif
Reuters

 
Pakistan • Pervez Musharraf • Benazir Bhutto • Nawaz Sharif • emergency rule

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