Former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif returns home after four years in self-imposed exile in UK

Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif returned home on Saturday on a special flight after a four-year self-imposed exile in UK to he his party and try to secure a record fourth term in general elections expected to be held in January.

73-year-old Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo flew in from Dubai to Islamab on 'Umeed-e-Pakistan' chartered plane.

Sharif's legal team will meet him to take his biometrics and submit it to Islamab High Court as part of bail process approved by court on October 19.

After staying an hour or so in Islamab, he will leave for Lahore to dress a rally at Minar-e-Pakistan.

His party has been trying to paint his homecoming as a hope for Pakistan. call was given for party workers to welcome him at airport but dozens of supporters have reached Islamab airport.

About 150 PML-N supporters, who were onboard on special flight, kept on chanting slogans throughout flight.

Sharif was calm during flight and apparently reing tes for his dress in Lahore in evening.

Speaking to reporters at Dubai airport, three-time former prime minister deplored "very chaotic" situation in Pakistan and expressed confidence that his party was "competent" to take cash-strapped country out of present crisis.

“I’m going back to Pakistan after four years today,” Sharif said. “When I was leaving Pakistan and going abro I h feeling of happiness but today I am happy.” ousted premier ded that it would have been very good if situation of country was better today as compared to 2017.

“I get very worried and disappointed seeing situation in country. country that h to move forward is going backward w ecomically and unity-wise.” Terming situation as “worrisome”, Sharif said re was still hope and “we should t let it slip from our hands as we are capable of fixing it because we spoilt it ourselves”.

He said country h to get back on its feet as body would lift us up.

“When I remember Pakistan back n, I get hurt, we h said goodbye to International Monetary Fund, electricity was cheap, rupee was stable, re was employment, roti cost Rs 4, a poor family’s child went to school and medicines were also cheap.” Sharif said only Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) can decide when polls will be held, ding that it was only competent authority and a fair election commission.

“Whatever date ECP anunces, everyone will [abide by it]. My priority is whatever ECP says. Pakistan has a fair ECP today and I feel it will make best decision with regards to election.

Lamenting treatment meted out to him in past, he said he was person who h gone through 150 court hearings.

“t just me but also my daughter. She even got a clean chit. She h to get it. She didn’t have a position during my government, t even an office.” He said fake cases were t just filed against his family including former prime minister and his bror Shehbaz Sharif but also ex-interior minister Rana Sanaullah Khan and PML-N leer Hanif Abbasi.

“I even said before leaving that I leave everything to Allah (God) and I still continue doing that.” He smirked and said “We are May 28 ones” when asked about May 9 violence allegedly carried out by Imran Khan's party.

Pakistan conducted nuclear tests on May 28, 1998, under leership of n prime minister Sharif.

Sharif left for London in ve­m­ber 2019 on medical grounds after a higher court granted him bail for four weeks. By that time, he h served half of his seven-year jail term in Al-Azizia corruption case.

During four years since n, Sharif was declared a proclaimed offender in Al-Azizia and Avenfield corruption cases for his continuous absence from proceedings on appeals against sentences.

Islamab High Court on Thursday granted him protective bail until October 24 in both cases after National Accountability Bureau, Pakistan's anti-corruption ncy, did t oppose petitions filed by him.

He stepped down as Pakistan's prime minister in 2017 after he was disqualified for life from holding public office by Supreme Court after a probe into his family's wealth following 2016 Panama Papers leak.

Sharif has consistently denied any wrongdoing and termed it as a politically motivated case.