Sharif supporters detained

Islamabad: Pakistani authorities have detained more than 2,000 supporters of exiled former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his party said on Sunday, the eve of his planned return to challenge President Pervez Musharraf.

"The way the government has acted has proven our point that there is no democracy under Musharraf, there is dictatorship in the country," said Sharif's spokesman, Ahsan Iqbal.

He said authorities had detained more than 2,000 activists from Sharif's party in Punjab province, Sharif's political power base: "Politically, they are very sacred of a big show of popularity upon his arrival".

A provincial police official said 250 "trouble makers" had been picked up.

The government has not said what it will do if and when Sharif and his politician brother, Shahbaz, land in Islamabad.

They could be arrested -- both Sharif brothers face various charges -- or they could be put on an aircraft back out of the country, as Shahbaz was when he tried to come home in 2004.

Sharif plans to lead a procession from Islamabad 300 km to the city of Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, his hometown and the country's political nerve centre.

Musharraf's ruling party, which was cobbled together from the remnants of Sharif's party after the 1999 coup, said on Saturday the brothers should be allowed to return home freely and allowed to compete in elections.

Sharif has kept his travel plans secret. Iqbal said he was booked on three different flights but declined to give details.