Word: sharif
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...didn't even set foot out of the airport. Nawaz Sharif, two-time Prime Minister of Pakistan, had planned a triumphant return to his native soil nearly seven years after choosing exile over a life term in prison, a choice imposed on him after a coup by then military chief Pervez Musharraf. Despite a landmark Supreme Court ruling last month that the former premier could not legally be denied a return to his home country, Sharif was bundled out of the Islamabad Airport first class lounge by a phalanx of plainclothes police officers and elite special forces soldiers clad...
...From a U.S. perspective, the choices are grim: Musharraf's tenuous grip on power has eroded his ability to tackle terrorism and extremism, but neither Bhutto nor Sharif would necessarily be a more effective ally in Washington's war on terror. A Bhutto-Musharraf pact would probably further incense militants. Sharif has a better relationship with the religious groups who might rein in the tribal militants, but may be less inclined to do the bidding of the U.S., particularly at a time when being seen to be allied with Washington is a political liability in Pakistan...
...billboards welcoming Sharif home that already line the route from Islamabad's airport signal that Sharif no longer represents just his party, but has become yet another symbol of anti-Musharraf sentiment. Even members of Bhutto's party are planning a rally to welcome their erstwhile foe. "Sharif's return has become a referendum between democracy and dictatorship," says Ahsan Iqbal, information secretary for Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League party. "So by going to support Sharif, you are casting your vote against Musharraf...
...mobbed by hundreds of thousands of fans upon his arrival, but Sharif could yet face arrest on long-standing corruption charges. That may not neutralize the threat he represents to Musharraf. "It will further increase his stock," says Iqbal. "This threat of arrest is an indication of how insecure the government is right...
...Sharif has become the spearhead of a burgeoning anti-Musharraf movement, one that will continue to swell no matter what happens. Eight years ago Musharraf overthrew Sharif to popular acclaim. Now the man he supplanted could be the one who will be his undoing. Homecoming is always sweet. But revenge is even sweeter...