Islamabad: Pakistan today (May 4, 2004) declared a red alert at all its airports claiming that it had received credible intelligence of a possible terrorist attempt to hijack aircraft.

The State-run PTV announced this evening that the red alert has been sounded following reports of a likelihood of an attempt to hijack a plane from one of the airports.

All the visitor passes have been cancelled and nobody barring authorised persons would be allowed entry into the airports, it said.

Pakistan Opposition parties said the "red alert" was a ploy to prevent cadre and leaders of the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy to receive Shahbaz Sharif, brother of deposed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and leader of Pakistan Muslim League-N, who has announced his plans to return to Pakistan on May 11, ending over three years in exile.

Shahbaz, who had been exiled in December 2000 along with brother Nawaz, announced in London yesterday that he would arrive in Lahore on May 11.

Shahbaz decided to return after Pakistan's Supreme Court recently observed that exile was violation of Human Rights and every Pakistani has a right to return.

Apparently, there was concern in the Government that Shahaz's arrival could galvanise the mainstream parties agitating against the rule of President Pervez Musharraf.

Some of the senior Ministers said Shahbaz could be deported back while others said he would be arrested for pending cases against him. PML-N leaders said Shahbaz was ready to face the cases.