Sharif family 'deported'

The son of an exiled Pakistani politician, Shabaz Sharif, has said the Pakistani authorities have deported his mother and two sisters to Saudi Arabia.

Shabaz Sharif and his brother, Nawaz Sharif - the former prime minister of Pakistan - were exiled to Saudi Arabia in December 2000.

Shabaz Sharif's wife, Nusrat Shahbaz Sharif, came to Pakistan three months ago with her daughters; they were staying in Lahore.

Her son, Hamza Sharif, now says that government officials forced her and her daughters to board a plane bound for Saudi Arabia.

The development comes a day after a High Court judge in Lahore ordered that Mrs Sharif be produced before the court, along with her two sons and two daughters.

The Sharif family's lawyer, Ashtar Ausaf Ali, had lodged a petition alleging that the police laid siege to their home.

Shabaz and Nawaz Sharif have been living in Saudi Arabia since shortly after Pakistan's elected government was overthrown in a military coup.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service