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Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates
Pakistan's embattled former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has said that whatever is happening with him in Pakistan will have a direct impact on July 25 elections.
"I am doing what I should do, I am taking my struggle forward. I am going to Pakistan, but what credibility is now left of the elections? Who will believe the results?" Sharif said in the first class lounge of the Etihad airways at Abu Dhabi airport. Sharif and his daughter Maryam have been waiting in the first class lounge for more than seven hours on their way to Lahore.
Live Updates: Nawaz Sharif, daughter Maryam on way to Pakistan
Sharif and his daughter were sentenced last week by a corruption court over the purchase of high-end properties in London, dealing a serious blow to his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party's bid weeks ahead of the July 25 polls.
While Sharif has been sentenced for 10 years, Maryam will be imprisoned for 7 years in the Avenfield case. Both are expected to be arrested when they reach Lahore.
Before reaching Abu Dhabi from London, where his wife is being treated for cancer, Maryam tweeted out a video in which Nawaz said that he is returning to Pakistan for the people of the country.
"I'll be taken straight to jail. But I'm doing this for people of Pak, sacrificing for generations to come. Such opportunity won't come again. Let's build destiny of Pak together," Sharif noted.
Sharif mentioned that his sacrifice will be for the generations to come and that such an opportunity will not come again. "Let's build the destiny of Pakistan together," he speaks in the video.
On Thursday his brother Shahbaz Sharif, who now heads the PML-N, said that hundreds of their workers and supporters had been arrested ahead of Nawaz's expected return in what he said was "naked" pre-poll rigging against their party.
Up to 8,000 police officers are set to be deployed in Lahore, according to police chief Sajjad Hasan Man. Containers could be seen blocking some Lahore roads on Friday morning, while travel to and from the airport had reportedly been restricted.
Authorities have pinpointed at least 50 locations in the city to block if needed, according to a police official.
Despite the crackdown, PML-N backers continued to flock to the city, vowing to confront authorities if challenged.