Order for Sharif brother arrest

Shahbaz Sharif is accused of ordering killings in the 1990s

A court in Pakistan has ordered the arrest of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's brother, Shahbaz, ahead of the two men's expected return next week.

The brothers, who were exiled following a 1999 coup which ousted Nawaz Sharif, have vowed to return home on Monday.

Shahbaz Sharif denies ordering the extra-judicial killings of five people when he was in power in the 1990s.

Observers say Nawaz Sharif's return poses the most serious threat yet to Gen Pervez Musharraf who ousted him.

If the government uses illegal tactics and blocks them... that will bring people onto the streets Ahsan Iqbal, PML-N spokesman

Nawaz Sharif could also be arrested on his return. He and his brother both face corruption charges, which they deny.

Meanwhile, police raids on houses of Sharif supporters have continued in Punjab province. Hundreds have now been detained.

'Politically motivated'

The judge in the eastern city of Lahore ordered police to arrest Shahbaz Sharif "at whichever airport he lands", said a lawyer for the Sharifs.

KEY DATES 23 Aug: Supreme Court says exiled ex-PM Nawaz Sharif can return 10 Sep: Date Mr Sharif says he will return 14 Sept: Date Benazir Bhutto will announce details of her homecoming 15 Sep-15 Oct: Timeframe Gen Musharraf has set for his re-election as president by parliament 15 November: Parliament expires and general election must be held Profile: Nawaz Sharif Bhutto's extraordinary career Q&A: Political crisis

"The anti-terrorism court judge Shabbir Hussain Chatha has ordered police to arrest Shahbaz Sharif and produce him before the court," the lawyer, Aftab Bajwa, told AFP news agency.

Shahbaz Sharif was chief minister of Punjab province, of which Lahore is the capital, at the time of the alleged killings. His brother was prime minister.

Shahbaz Sharif says the charges against him are politically motivated.

The warrant for his arrest was issued during his exile, in 2003. He flew back to Pakistan in 2004, but was forcibly deported.

Prosecutors say police killed five madrassa (religious school) students suspected of involvement in acts of terrorism in 1998 on the orders of Shahbaz Sharif.

Siddiqul Farooq, a senior member of the Sharifs' faction of the Pakistan Muslim League party (PML-N), promised to oppose the arrest warrant.

"We will adopt all legal methods to defend their rights," AFP quoting him as saying.

Legal setbacks

Nawaz Sharif's government was overthrown by Gen Musharraf in a military coup in 1999, and he was exiled to Saudi Arabia in 2000.

Nawaz Sharif has spent his exile in the UK and Saudi Arabia

In July, he appealed to the Supreme Court to be allowed to return to Pakistan.

The court upheld his petition, dealing the latest in a series of legal blows to the government of President Musharraf.

Last week, Nawaz Sharif announced his plans to return home on 10 September, vowing to challenge Gen Musharraf.

The president is said to be near a deal to share power with another former Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto. But as yet nothing has been announced.

General elections are due to be held in Pakistan this year, and Gen Musharraf's five-year term as president also expires.