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Pakistani police detained hundreds of activists who tried Saturday to greet the husband of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto on his return from a trip overseas in a major security operation to block an opposition rally.
Asif Ali Zardari condemned the government for heavy-handed treatment of his supporters after police whisked him from a plane and dropped him off at his home. Authorities said Zardari was neither charged nor arrested.
Thousands of police blocked access to Lahore airport before Zardari’s return early Saturday. Between 100 and 150 opposition activists who managed to evade the blockade were baton-charged by police and taken away in police vans. About 200 other protesters were arrested elsewhere in the city.
