Sharif wins a battle

摘要

It was first-rate political theatre. As an angry crowd approached a police cordon outside the house of Pakistan's opposition leader, Nawaz Sharif, the "Lion of Punjab", on March 15th, the police melted like spring snow. They were believed to have detained Mr Sharif in his house that morning, and had arrested dozens of his supporters outside it. Yet they were loyal Punjabis and Mr Sharif, a two-time former prime minister, is Punjab's man. With a roar of sports-utility vehicles, he and his companions emerged from their den, surged through the barricades and were free.rnEntering central Lahore, Punjab's capital, Mr Sharif's cavalcade drew thousands, many waving the Islamic green flag of his Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) party, or PML (N). A few policemen, who had earlier lobbed tear-gas canisters at the throng, joined it.