The Pakistan government today braced for a confrontation as a defiant Nawaz Sharif stuck to his plan to return home tomorrow after seven years in exile. The former premier, who has ignored international appeals to stay away, faces the prospect of deportation or arrest.

Pakistan sounded a high alert at airports, clamped prohibitory orders and detained hundreds of activists of PML(N), Sharif’s party, as the 57-year-old leader prepared to return home to “play his part in Pakistani politics” to challenge General Musharraf whom he called a “reckless, impulsive dictator.”

Sharif and brother Shahbaz are due to fly into Islamabad from London via Muscat at 1145 Pakistan time, his spokesman said in London.

The government has not announced any plan on how to deal with the Sharif brothers but says it will act under the law.

Amid Pakistani media reports that Sharif will be deported immediately after arrival, Saudi Arabia has offered to keep the Sharif brothers in exile again. They spent six years in the kingdom after being exiled in 2000 and then shifted to London.

Geo TV reported that a plane of an Arab country will reach Islamabad airport as part of government plans to deport them.

Sharif dismissed the talk of deportation, telling NDTV before leaving London that Musharraf “dare” not do this since there is no justification or any reason.

Authorities in Islamabad plan to seal all main roads to Islamabad’s international airport to stop people from welcoming Sharif. PML leader Ahsan Iqbal said activists will reach the airport despite the crackdown by the government and will not allow the plane to take off in the event of Sharif’s deportation.

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