Nawaz Sharif, three-time former Prime Minister, is returning to Pakistan today after a four-year-long self-imposed exile in London.
· Sharif reached Islamabad in a chartered flight and will later address a rally at Minar-i-Pakistan.
· “The situation in Pakistan is very chaotic and that is very worrying,” said Nawaz.
· The return has been touted for months by the PML-N, whose leaders hope Sharif’s political clout and “man of the soil” swagger will revive its flagging popularity.
· However, the former leader has a conviction for corruption and an unfinished prison sentence hanging over him.
Three-time Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif returned home today after four years of self-imposed exile and is primed to make a political comeback ahead of elections. The 73-year-old Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo flew in from Dubai to Islamabad on the chartered flight “Umeed-e-Pakistan” along with some family members, senior party leaders, and friends.
Pakistan is facing overlapping security, economic, and political crises ahead of polls already pushed back to January 2024, with Sharif’s primary opponent, the fiercely popular Imran Khan, languishing in jail.
“Today I am going to Pakistan after four years and I am feeling very happy with the grace of Allah,” Sharif told reporters before leaving for Islamabad from Dubai. He had arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Friday from Saudi Arabia after traveling there last week from London.
He said he wished the situation in the country had improved in his absence. He left Pakistan in 2019, two years after he stepped down after being convicted in a graft case.
He said Pakistan’s economy and political situation both declined in recent years, according to multiple videos shared by his Pakistan Muslim League party on X. But he added: “As I have said earlier, I leave everything to God. I have left everything to God.” He said he made more than 150 court appearances after his ouster in 2017.
“This is a time for hope and celebration. His return bodes well for Pakistan’s economy and its people,” said Khawaja Muhammad Asif, a senior leader of PML-N.
More than 7,000 police have been enlisted to control crowds expected at the Greater Iqbal Park where his homecoming rally is due later.
The return has been touted for months by the PML-N, whose leaders hope Sharif’s political clout and “man of the soil” swagger will revive its flagging popularity.
However, the former leader has a conviction for corruption and an unfinished prison sentence hanging over him.
Earlier this week, the Islamabad High Court granted protective bail to Sharif until Tuesday, removing the threat of immediate arrest when he lands back in the country.
(With inputs from agencies)
