Police manned roadblocks and rounded up supporters of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today as he prepared to end seven years in exile and return to Pakistan to lead a campaign to topple the country’s US-allied military ruler.

A court today ordered the arrest of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s brother, three days before the siblings are to return to Pakistan to challenge President Gen Pervez Musharraf, a lawyer said.

Corruption cases against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif have been reopened in Pakistan, and a court today ordered the arrest of his younger brother ahead of their return home from exile next week.