Here’s something you don’t see every day. Former three-time Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam were arrested last night at Lahore Airport upon returning to Pakistan on EY243 from Abu Dhabi.
This came after the former prime minister was recently sentenced to 10 years in jail and issued a fine of over 10 million USD in an anti-corruption court. This followed the Panama Papers disclosing the expensive and undeclared properties his family owned in London (he vehemently denies the validity of those claims).
All of this comes amid the turmoil in Pakistan surrounding their current elections, with yesterday having also seen Pakistan’s deadliest terror attack of the year.
The Sharifs had been in London for many weeks, and returned to Pakistan in hopes of giving their party a boost before the election.
To stick to what’s airline-related, the way the arrest happened is quite interesting, as dozens of officials stormed the Etihad plane to arrest Sharif. I’m actually surprised by how lax the process was. You can see all kinds of passengers videotaping the situation and getting in Sharif’s face. I figured they’d storm the plane in a more militant way, demanding everyone sit down. Though I guess given the tensions, maybe that’s what they did, and no one would listen.
Here’s the crazy video footage of the incident (you can scroll, as there are three videos):
https://www.instagram.com/p/BlL-vkVHujb/
I’ve been on probably a dozen flights over the years where the police or immigration boarded the plane upon landing to either remove someone from the plane or arrest them, though I’ve never witnessed anything as public or high profile as this.
(Tip of the hat to Mubashar)
@debit
@john
Perhaps you should try running a candidate that isn't nearly as corrupt as hilary. You would be better off supporting an all socialist team of Bernie/Ocasio-Cortez.
@Lucky - this article may benefit from actual research to help non-Pakistanis understand the reasons behind the actions. Pakistan is preparing for elections and the current leading candidate has strong backing by the military in the country (the military despise Sharif). It was expected that this would happen as soon as the Sharif family were in Pakistan's territory. The story involves a much more diligent research.
The US campaign-finance system is corruption at its essence. And now we have a President who owns properties where US government and party functions are held for profit. Businesses and foreign entities are also encouraged to spend money at these properties to curry favor with the President. Drain the swamp? Ha! This President is the swamp.
Amusing to see the baseless trash some Trump Derangement Syndrome patients write
Pakistan managed to have a female prime Minister. America still hasn't had a female president. Dont always believe the US media about what they narrate about other countries politics and history.
#GenderEquality
@Pete
and rhymes with Dakistan.. :P
Read your history. Pakistan is a failed state. Corrupt to the core. A chaotic madhouse. Please recall where Osama bin Laden was found. If you don't know, take a wild guess. Starts with P.
This will no doubt make the two-bit, tin-horn dictator in the US very jealous. Time for a summit with Pakistan to pick up a few pointers. #MAGA LOL #Lockherup
@Marcus, you win the thread!
I guess Etihad are even cutting cost on storming planes :)
Why is debit allow ed to post here? This is a travel site.
I see sense in what Debit says, guys, are things that crazy??
I almost never agree with Debit. But he's correct in his response to WR.
Crap, is the world is ending???
It appears that Pakistan has a more advanced democracy than the US. Here, we can’t even impeach the crooked Trump.
WR
Shut it. You don't know anything about me. Don't project, assume or presuppose. If you want to give advice go light on the elitist attitude and just stick to provable assertions backed by real data.
@WR, you seem to have a breakdown of logic. Giving you that politicians get rich through corruption, receiving money to make decisions not in the electorates best interest, where does that money come from? Poor people? Not possible, they don’t have money. So it has to be rich people making politicians rich through bribes (Americans like to call them election donations). So that means that the donors have to be corrupt too. Debit never said...
@WR, you seem to have a breakdown of logic. Giving you that politicians get rich through corruption, receiving money to make decisions not in the electorates best interest, where does that money come from? Poor people? Not possible, they don’t have money. So it has to be rich people making politicians rich through bribes (Americans like to call them election donations). So that means that the donors have to be corrupt too. Debit never said that it was only rich business people that were corrupt, I’m sure that he was thinking about corrupt rich politicians as well. You chose to read business people into it so that you could make a stupid left versus right argument that makes no logical sense.
@Debit
Your misguided attitude is why you will always be poor. Most wealthy people become wealthy by working hard, making smart choices and taking risks. Politicians on the other hand often get wealthy through corruption, and you leftists want government to be even more powerful and controlling, thus enabling more corruption. Really smart. Enjoy a lifetime of scraping by and blaming “the rich” for all your failures.
Panama papers were released two years ago. What has happened? Nothing. Rich people get rich through corruption. They also vote Republican or the equivalent party in their country.
If don't know what I am talking about read up on it
Im a Pakistani and I know he will probably get out of it. He has been impeached 3 times and still comes back.
If I heard correctly from most videos, the people you see clamoring around him are either his own lackeys or people claiming they are press!.