Former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif returns home ahead of vote

Pakistan’s former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has arrived home on a special flight from Dubai, ending four years of self-imposed exile as he seeks to win the support of voters ahead of parliamentary elections due in January.

At Islamabad’s airport on Saturday, legal advisers and senior members of Mr Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League party gave him a warm welcome.

He then flew to Lahore, where tens of thousands of supporters gathered at a public park to greet him.

In a speech there, he said he was forgiving all those who caused harm to him in the past.

Mr Sharif also announced his plan for reviving the country’s ailing economy.

He said his party would end unemployment, ensure a reduction in inflation and “smash the begging bowl” to avoid reliance on foreign loans. Mr Sharif said he wanted to work with all the state institutions for the betterment of the country.

His return comes as Pakistan experiences deepening political turmoil and one of its worst economic crises.

He had arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Friday from Saudi Arabia after travelling there last week from London.

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, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

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 ousting in 2017.

Mr Sharif has been a fugitive since he failed to appear before a Pakistan court in 2019, when he was allowed to travel abroad by his successor, Imran Khan, to receive medical treatment after he complained of chest pains.

Mr Sharif later prolonged his stay in London, saying his doctors were not allowing him to travel.

Mr Sharif’s main political rival, Mr Khan, was arrested in August after a court convicted and sentenced him to three years in a graft case.

Mr Sharif’s comments came two days after a federal court in Pakistan granted several days of protection from arrest to Mr Sharif in graft cases, clearing the way for him to return home from self-imposed exile in London.

Thursday’s decision by the Islamabad High Court was a major boost for Mr Sharif and his party, which is struggling to counter the popularity of Mr Khan, who was ousted through no-confidence in April 2022 but remains the leading popular opposition political figure despite his conviction and imprisonment.

Mr Sharif is also facing multiple legal challenges. In 2020, an anti-graft court in Islamabad issued a warrant for his arrest after he failed to return home. The same court on Thursday suspended that arrest warrant until October 24.

Another federal court has granted Mr Sharif bail until October 24, giving him protection from arrest until then.

Mr Sharif was convicted in 2018 and sentenced to 10 years in prison in a corruption case involving purchases of luxury apartments in London.

His party became hugely unpopular after Mr Khan’s removal when Nawaz Sharif’s brother Shehbaz Sharif replaced Mr Khan, a former cricketer turned politician.

Shehbaz Sharif failed to improve the economy, though he saved Pakistan from default.

His tenure ended in August.

A caretaker government is currently in power and it will hold the vote in January.