New Delhi: The Pakistan Government weighed at least two other alternative options before it was decided that he would be arrested on arrival and sent back to Saudi Arabia.
According to reports in the Pakistani media, one of the options mulled by the Pakistani authorities was to arrest the former prime minister on various charges and keep him in Attock prison.
The Pakistani authorities had, in fact, told various provinces to dig out some charges against the ex-PM in order to be able to arrest him. At the Attock fort, a VIP ward was being refurbished, apparently
Another option that the government was weighing till Monday morning was to take him to his Raiwind residence in a helicopter from the airport and put him under house arrest.
But on Monday morning, the authorities finally gave a go-ahead to the plan to sent him back to Saudi Arabia.
Accordingly, the security agencies put in place a plan to deport the ex-PM right from the airport. It was evident from the fact that at least two PIA planes had been kept on stand-by when Sharif landed at the airport on Monday morning.
The Airbus A-310 with tail number APBGO was in fact brought to the Islamabad Airport sometime on Sunday itself and was put on stand-by. The deportation plan, sources say, was on top of other options considered by the government as Gen Musharraf was in no mode to have Sharif in the country and give him a free hand.
Even in the event of his being put in the jail, it would allow Sharif to be in constant touch with his party men and drive the political campaign.
Sources said the decision to make the airport a no-go area and an advice to the people living in a radius of 5 km to stay inside their homes were clear indicators that the government had made up its mind to send Nawaz Sharif back to the ‘country which has demanded of him to honour the undertaking signed by him in 2000.
The sources said the government had already sought assurances from the Saudi prince Maqrin that his country would allow Nawaz to stay there.
The plan initially was to take Nawaz Sharif to an airport lounge and keep him there for some time and then put him on a special plane to Jeddah.
Sources said legal experts have told the government that since Sharif brothers were bound by an international agreement to live in Saudi Arabia till 2010, there would be no violation of law in case of deportation.
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