Pakistan was plunged into a deeper political turmoil after Sharif was placed under house arrest ahead of a major protest destined to the capital.

Former Pakistani Prime Minister and leader of a main opposition party Nawaz Sharif waves to his supporters in Lahore, east Pakistan, Mar. 15, 2009. Sharif on Sunday began to lead the "long march" procession from his residence in Lahore to capital Islamabad, defying the detention order from the government.[Xinhua]

Pakistan police clashed with the protesters in Lahore on Sunday.  

TV footage showed that the police fired tear-gas shell to disperse the protesters, while the protesters threw stones to police in Lahore, the PML-N's power center.

The lawyers and political activists kicked off their "long march" on March 12 and they are expected to reach Islamabad on March 16 and stage sit-in to urge to government to restore the judges sacked in 2007.

The government has put in place security measures and the roads leading to Rawalpindi and Islamabad were blocked.

Some 60 Supreme Court and High Courts judges were sacked in November 2007 when then-President Pervez Musharraf declared a state of emergency. Some of them took fresh oath of office while others including former Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry are yet to be restored.  

(Xinhua News Agency March 16, 2009)