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The party claimed that the arrests were an attempt to prevent them from organizing a welcome rally following the return of the ousted leaders.
Sharif, ousted by the country's Supreme Court for corruption last July, was found guilty last week and sentenced to 10 years in prison for buying luxury apartments in London. His daughter, Maryam Nawaz, was sentenced to seven years imprisonment in a case arising from documents leaked by a law firm in Panama.
Both were convicted in absentia while they were in Britain, where Sharif's critically ill wife is hospitalized.
Sharif has not yet appealed his conviction and risk being arrested as soon as he arrives at the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore, the provincial capital of Punjab where most of the arrests have took place on Thursday. His brother, Shahbaz Sharif, who now heads the Muslim League of Pakistan, said the former prime minister was due back on Friday.
The Pakistan Muslim League stated that dozens of its members had been captured in eastern Punjab. Police said that a hundred of them had been detained "to avoid violence".
Shahbaz Sharif condemned the arrests, demanded that they stop and that every detainee be immediately released. He told reporters in Lahore that he was planning to be at the rally tomorrow to welcome Nawaz Sharif who is going home with his daughter. "
Meanwhile, Lahore authorities have installed shipping containers and other barricades to block the main roads leading to the airport in order to prevent supporters of Nawaz Sharif to join it.
A self-appointed gag order was issued by Pakistan's PTV World, stating "No convicted person shall be shown or spoken on any channel / PTV program". The order is perceived as aimed at preventing Sharif from using the media to gain support and attack his opponents.
In a televised appeal to London supporters on Wednesday, Sharif said he was not afraid of prison and asked people to vote for his party during the July 25 vote. The Pakistani Muslim League, which since Sharif's ouster has elected a new leadership, still hopes to win the vote and form the next government.
Sharif also took the opportunity to once again criticize the powerful Pakistani army, which has ruled the country directly or indirectly for most of its 71-year history, claiming that Pakistan has now a "state above the state".
During his tenure, Sharif had criticized the army's involvement in civil affairs and its efforts in the fight against extremists.
Sharif offered his condolences for the suicide bombing that killed this week the secular politician Haroon Ahmed Bilour and 20 others at a political rally. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, which took place in the city of Peshawar.
On Thursday, the head of the Pakistani army, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, and Acting Prime Minister Nasir-ul-Mulk, went to the Bilour residence to offer their condolences.
Tuesday's bombing was the first election-related violence. He intervened a few hours after the army announced that it would deploy more than 370,000 security forces in polling stations to ensure free, fair and transparent national elections.
(With agency contributions)
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