Nawaz Sharif ignored subsequent court orders to return during ex PM Imran Khan's rule. (File)
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif returned to Islamabad on Saturday, ending his four-year self-imposed exile. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo was living away in the UK following his conviction in corruption cases in 2017. The three-time Prime Minister returns home after being granted protective bail in the graft cases and the suspension of his arrest warrant by the accountability court.
The conviction in corruption cases had also led to his lifetime disqualification from politics. After serving less than a year of a seven-year sentence, he was allowed to seek medical treatment in the UK. He ignored subsequent court orders to return during former Prime Minister Imran Khan's rule.
Much like in the past, his political fortunes changed when his brother Shehbaz Sharif came to power. The new Pakistan government made amendments to the law, reducing the disqualification of lawmakers from contesting elections to five years.
Mr Sharif was in Dubai and left for Pakistan on a chartered flight with journalists. After his touchdown in Islamabad, Mr Sharif will make his way to Lahore, where his supporters are planning a welcome home rally for him.
Nawaz Sharif returns to Pakistan's political turf just three months before the General Elections. Former PM Imran Khan is also barred from elections due to a graft conviction, which he's appealing.
Besides political upheaval, Pakistan is also facing with a severe economic crisis, which worsened in the last year or so.