Pakistan’s ex-PM Nawaz Sharif returns from exile ‘completely ready’ for election

Return of Sharif, who has conviction for graft, is likely to have been smoothed by deal with country's powerful military, expert says

Nawaz Sharif, the three-time prime minister of Pakistan, arrived back in the country on Saturday after four years of self-imposed exile, poised to make a political comeback before the general election in January.

Sharif spent the past few days in Dubai and left on a chartered flight packed with journalists, touching down in the capital, Islamabad, at about 1.30pm (0830 GMT), according to local media.