Pakistani ex-PM Nawaz Sharif held

[Torpedo]

Pakistani ex-PM Nawaz Sharif held​

Nawaz Sharif - file photo
Nawaz Sharif has been locked in a power struggle with President Zardari

Pakistani opposition leader Nawaz Sharif has been placed under house arrest, his party officials have said.

Mr Sharif, a former prime minister, had pledged to go ahead with a rally in the capital, Islamabad, by lawyers and opposition activists on Monday.

Mr Sharif had thrown his weight behind attempts to reinstate judges sacked by former President Pervez Musharraf.

Tensions between President Asif Ali Zardari's government and Mr Sharif's party have risen in recent months.

The government has banned political gatherings across the country, saying they could trigger violence.

Several other opposition leaders have also been placed under house arrest, a member of Mr Sharif's party, the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz, told the BBC.

Earlier, in a move seen as a conciliatory gesture, the government had said it would seek a review of a Supreme Court ruling that barred Mr Sharif from office.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7944444.stm