Dubai: Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is set to make his long-awaited return to Pakistan today, marking the end of his four-year self-imposed exile in London. Sharif, a three-time former PM and the leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), has arrived at Dubai International Airport and is preparing to depart for his home country in a matter of hours.
The PML-N announced Sharif’s return on X, stating, “Quaid PMLN, Muhammad Nawaz Sharif reaches Dubai airport to board the “Umeed-e-Pakistan” flight for his historic journey back to Pakistan.”
According to a news agency, as Nawaz Sharif arrived at the Dubai airport, he said, “Today I am going to Pakistan after 4 years and I am feeling very happy with the grace of Allah. It would be great if the situation in Pakistan was better today than it was in 2017.”
As he boarded a special plane, enthusiastic PML-N supporters cheered on their leader with chants of “Nawaz Sharif for Prime Minister again.” Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) had granted permission for the special plane to land in the country upon arrival, as reported by ARY News.
Nawaz Sharif’s return to Pakistan follows a four-year-long self-imposed exile in London. The PML-N is gearing up for an elaborate welcome for their former Prime Minister. In November 2019, Nawaz Sharif left for London on medical grounds, after a higher court granted him a four-week bail. This occurred after he had served half of his seven-year jail term in the Al-Azizia corruption case.
During this four-year period, Nawaz Sharif was declared a proclaimed offender in the Al-Azizia and Avenfield corruption cases due to his prolonged absence from the legal proceedings associated with his appeals against the sentences. However, the Islamabad High Court recently granted him protective bail until October 24 in both cases, as the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) did not oppose the petitions he filed.
He stepped down as Pakistan’s prime minister in 2017 after he was disqualified for life from holding public office by the Supreme Court after a probe into his family’s wealth following the 2016 Panama Papers leak.
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