Self-exiled former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif returns home ahead of comeback bid

Three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif arrived back in Pakistan Saturday after four years of self-imposed exile, primed to make a political comeback ahead of elections.

The South Asian nation is facing overlapping security, economic and political crises ahead of polls already pushed back to January 2024, with Sharif's primary opponent, the fiercely popular Imran Khan, languishing in jail.

Sharif spent the past several days in Dubai and left on a chartered flight packed with journalists, touching down in the capital Islamabad around 1:30 pm (0830 GMT) according to local media.

"We are completely ready for elections," he told reporters before his flight took off.

"Our country which should have been at the heights of prosperity has really gone backwards," he said. "How did we get here? Why did it come to this?"

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Analysts say Sharif's return has likely been brokered by the powerful military establishment, which cracked down on Khan's party after their relationship soured as he was ousted last year.