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Musharraf Foe Gets Just 4 Hours Back Home
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The deportation brought Musharraf only a mild rebuke from Washington. "The decision to deport him runs contrary to the Supreme Court's decision," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters. But he added, "It is still a pending legal matter."
Sharif, who served two terms as prime minister in the 1990s, was ousted on Oct. 12, 1999, after he chose not to allow a plane carrying Musharraf, then his army chief, to land. The military revolted, and Sharif was jailed on hijacking and other charges.
At the time, most Pakistanis appeared glad to see him go because his tenure had been marked by corruption allegations, curbs on news media and legal freedoms, and a sagging economy.
But with Musharraf's popularity fading, Sharif's reputation has regained some luster. Unlike former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, who is plotting her own return from exile this fall, Sharif has said he will not negotiate with the government. Supporters said Monday that they believe Sharif's return to Pakistan, however brief, will help unleash anti-Musharraf sentiment.
"This is the first step toward democracy," said Mohsin Renjha, one of the few Sharif supporters who was able to get past multiple roadblocks and reach the airport Monday.
Mueen Batlay, a Sharif supporter who did not make it to the airport, said he and more than 1,000 others were turned back by an aggressive police presence that included baton charges, tear gas and stun guns -- all of which he took as signs of the government's desperation.
"We were not doing anything violent," said Batlay, a businessman who was arrested for taking part in the protest. "I wish the military government could see that there's no way out for them. But they're not accepting reality."
In a country where brute strength often trumps the rule of law, however, Musharraf's display of force Monday could intimidate others, including the Supreme Court, according to political analyst Ayaz Amir.
"This was a slap in the Supreme Court's face," Amir said. "So after today, it may be less inclined to take Musharraf on."
Correspondent Faiza Saleh Ambah in Jiddah contributed to this report.
