Lahore, Mar. 11 : Defying the Punjab police crackdown to prevent the lawyers’ long march, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief Nawaz Sharif has left for Abbottabad where he is expected to address a huge public rally.

The PML-N sources claimed that Sharif strongly condemned the crackdown launched by the government against leaders of the opposition.

“These house-arrests will not be able to foil lawyers’ long march and sit-in which is being struggled in wake of restoration of judiciary and supremacy of law in Pakistan,” The News quoted Sharif, as saying.

On Wednesday, police launched a crackdown against lawyers and PML-N leaders in several Punjab districts including Lahore. Police was ordered to put Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif, Qazi Hussain Ahmed and Imran Khan under house arrest.

Several raids were carried out on homes and offices of Jamat-e-Islami workers, PML-N’s members of the Punjab assembly, but all succeeded to flee and have gone in to hiding, sources said.

Sharif reportedly said the unity of Jamaat-e-Islami members and PML-N leaders would overpower all the barriers, and would successfully make their way to Islamabad for the long march and sit-in.

Nawaz Sharif is expected to announce his party’s future course of action during his address in Abbottabad. (ANI)