Islamabad, Oct 21 Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday returned to the country, ending his four-year self-imposed exile in London.
His special charter flight landed in Islamabad from Dubai, media reports said.
The PML-N supremo’s legal team including former law minister Senator Azam Tarar and party leaders were present at the airport to receive him, according to Dawn.
Tarar said Nawaz will be consulted on political and legal issues upon his arrival.
He confirmed that the court staff also reached the airport and now “the legal process of security guarantee will be completed”.
Ex-deputy mayor Zeeshan Naqvi was also present at the airport along with the oath commissioner to get the legal documents signed.
Before boarding his flight, Nawaz said he was “happy to return”. He is likely to face a host of legal challenges before embarking on his election campaign to rev up his party’s prospects in the lead-up to elections due in January next year.
Dar said Nawaz would arrive at Minar-i-Pakistan at 5 PM today on schedule to address the gathering.
Nawaz’s party is rallying its base, urging supporters to converge on Minar-i-Pakistan in Lahore from around the country to greet their leader and showcase the undiminished popularity of the party, which has been declared ‘irrelevant’ by its rivals.
Observers say the reason Nawaz is arriving in Islamabad instead of Lahore is that his touchdown in the capital was necessary to make bail, earlier granted by the Islamabad High Court on October 19.
“I’m going back to Pakistan after four years today,” Nawaz said today, “When I was leaving Pakistan and going abroad I had no feeling of happiness but today I am happy.”
The ousted premier added that it would have been very good if the situation of the country was better today as compared to 2017, Dawn reports.
“I get very worried and disappointed seeing the situation in the country.
The country that had to move forward is going backward now economically and unity-wise.”
Terming the situation as “worrisome”, Nawaz said there was still hope and “we should not let it slip from our hands as we are capable of fixing it because we spoilt it ourselves”.
Nawaz said the country had to get back on its feet as nobody would lift us up.