LAHORE: A National Accountability Bureau (NAB) team aided by Airport Security Force (ASF) officials arrested former premier Mian Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz Sharif in compliance with a July 6 court order in the Avenfield case, minutes after they landed in Lahore, ARY News reported.

The former PM and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and his daughter were later moved to Adiala prison after necessary legal formalities.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders who left London yesterday arrived in the country through a connecting flight via Abu Dhabi.

They were arrested soon after they landed in the Punjab province’s capital. A number of PML-N leaders had announced rallies to receive the PML-N leader at airport but security measures adopted at their arrival prevented anyone from entering the airport premises.

Mobile phone service had been cut off in mid-afternoon, as Sharif’s brother, Shehbaz, led around 10,000 party supporters on a march towards the city centre in defiance of a citywide ban on public gatherings,

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8:48PM: The flight EY243 carrying Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz landed at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport.

9:10PM: Other passengers asked to leave the plane. At least 39 people traveled in the plane in the business class while 321 were in the economy class.

9:11 PM ASF andNAB officials escort Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz out of the plane. Their passports confiscated.

They will be moved to a special jet along with the NAB team.

9:35PM: Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz are being moved to a chartered plane to be flown to Islamabad.

Sources say the duo will have to spend a night in Rawalpinid’s Adiala prison before being presented in the court on Saturday.

10:02PM: Nawaz and Maryam boarded onto a small chartered plane bound for Islamabad International Airport (IIA).

10:35PM: The flight landed in Islamabad around 10.30pm. Meanwhile, a NAB prosecution team headed to the accountability courts to seek a judicial warrant for arrest.

10:40PM: A judicial arrest warrant has been issued by the accountability court judge Muhammad Bashir.

11:47PM: The former PM and his daughter have been moved to Rawalpindi’s Adiala prison.

The preparations from NAB and PML-N

The former ruling party had announced to accord its leaders “a historic welcome” upon their arrival at the airport.

Special security measures were put in place at and outside the airport. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the Punjab government had devised a comprehensive strategy for their arrest at the airport.

A 16-member NAB team was present at the airport to arrest the duo on their arrival. The team also had two female members to arrest Maryam Nawaz.

The caretaker Punjab government had put Rangers on high alert to deal with any untoward situation in the provincial capital.

Sharif and his daughter left for London on June 14 to see ailing Kulsoom Nawaz who has been undergoing treatment there and announced to return in a week or so.

However, Kulsoom suffered a cardiac arrest and was put on a ventilator. They, therefore, stayed on in London and linked their homecoming with her health.

It was only after the accountability court convicted them in the Avenfield reference last Friday, they announced to return before the expiry of 10-day time limit to appeal the verdict in a high court.

About the Avenfield verdict

On July 6, the PML-N supreme leader was awarded 10 years in prison, while his daughter Maryam and her spouse Capt. Safdar were handed seven years’ and one year’s prison term, respectively.

Judge Muhammad Bashir ordered forfeiture of their properties in the Avenfield Apartments and Park Lane of London. He imposed a fine of £8 million (approximately Rs1,292m) on the former premier and £2 million (approximately Rs323m) on his daughter.

Besides, three convicts were awarded an additional one-year imprisonment, which will run concurrently for not cooperating with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

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