Kulsoom, daughters allowed to meet deposed premier Sharif

KARACHI, NOV 22: Pakistani military authorities on Sunday allowed deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s mother, wife and two daughters to meet him in his detention cell in Karachi, his lawyer Iqbal Radh said. An Army brigadier visited their home in Lahore and told the women "you are free to go to Karachi to meet Nawaz Sharif," Radh said. He said only the women family members had been allowed to meet Sharif who is in Karachi police custody.

Sharif’s wife, Kulsoom and daughters Maryam and Asma arrived in Karachi late Sunday for their first meeting with the deposed premier scheduled for Monday. A corp of photographers, newsmen, and leaders and supporters gathered at the airport when the women arrived, witnesses said. "No comment, not now," Kulsoom, the wife of Sharif, told the reporters, and quietly sat inside the car along with her daughters.

The women were driven to the house of a close Sharif aide by party leaders amid tight security and a police escort. "We are happy to see the family members of ourleader but we will be really happy to see democracy restored," said Tehmina Daultana, the leader of Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League (PML). "We are glad that the family members are allowed to meet Sharif. They are still worried and have been under tremendous mental trauma and want to see him as soon as possible," central party leader, Halim Siddiqui said. They have been under house detention since Sharif was ousted in a military coup on October 12.