En route to Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif reaches Dubai

DUBAI: Nawaz Sharif, the supremo of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Thursday touched down in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) ahead of his much-awaited homecoming to Pakistan.

The three-time prime minister is set to return to Pakistan on October 21 (Saturday) after spending four years in self-exile in London after being allowed to travel despite being sentenced to prison.

His arrival comes after a few hours of delay as he was held up in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for an important meeting, sources told Geo News. He was given "special protocol" on arrival at the Dubai airport.

Nawaz will be meeting a selected group of people during his two-day stay in Dubai and will leave for Pakistan on Saturday morning — first to Islamabad and then to Lahore.

Nawaz will be accompanied by around 150 people on his return to Pakistan in a chartered plane. Journalists, politicians, and activists have booked the ticket for Pakistan's return.

All the legal hurdles were removed earlier in the day in the smooth return of the former prime minister after he was granted protective bail in two graft cases while his arrest warrant in the Toshakhana case was suspended by an accountability court.

The three-time premier reached London on November 19, 2019, when he fell critically ill in prison.

It was alleged by the family that the Imran Khan-led government and his “backers” had tried to poison Nawaz. He was treated at the Harley Street Clinic and London Bridge Hospital for four months.

Nawaz had been diagnosed with an immune system disorder and doctors in Pakistan recommended that he should go abroad for treatment as his condition continued to deteriorate despite the best possible care in the country.

Nawaz — who has been in self-imposed exile in London since November 2019 owing to health reasons — was disqualified for life in 2017 by the Supreme Court for not declaring a receivable salary.