Ex-PM Nawaz Sharif will return to Pakistan after receiving protection from arrest from the court.

In corruption charges, a Pakistani court on Thursday granted the former prime minister Nawaz Sharif several days of protection from arrest, paving the path for his return from self-imposed exile in London, where he had gone in 2019 for medical treatment.

In light of Pakistan’s escalating political and economic unrest and two days before he is scheduled to travel there for legislative elections in January, the Islamabad High Court’s judgment is a significant victory for Sharif and his party.

Since failing to show up in front of a Pakistani court in 2019, Sharif has been on the run from the law. According to his Pakistan Muslim League party, he went from London to Saudi Arabia last week and is scheduled to go back to his native country on a chartered aircraft from Dubai on Saturday.

In 2017, Sharif resigned as prime minister after being found guilty of corruption. He complained of chest symptoms two years later while he was facing new corruption allegations, and after a court ruling, his successor, Imran Khan, gave him permission to go to London for medical treatment.

Sharif extended his stay in London by claiming that his physicians had forbidden him from leaving the country.

After he failed to come home in 2020, an anti-graft court in Islamabad issued a warrant for his arrest. His arrest warrant was stayed by the same court on Thursday until October 24.

Additionally on Thursday, the Islamabad High Court granted Sharif bail, preventing him from being arrested until October 24.

The court’s judgment was praised by Sharif’s party. On Saturday, his special aircraft is scheduled to touch down at the airport in Islamabad. The following day, he will fly to Lahore to give a speech at a gathering that will be staged in a public park with high security.

Three times-serving prime minister Sharif was found guilty of corruption in 2018 and given a 10-year jail term by the anti-graft tribunal. The case included the purchase of opulent homes in London.

Khan, Sharif’s successor and chief political foe, is also incarcerated and is completing a three-year term in a corruption case. Shehbaz Sharif, the younger brother of Sharif, took over as prime minister when Khan was overthrown in a no-confidence motion in April 2022. Sharif remained in that position until August, when he resigned to make way for an interim administration to handle everyday business and oversee the elections.

Along with his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, Khan, who was convicted of corruption when Shehbaz Sharif was prime minister, continues to be Pakistan’s foremost opposition figure and has a sizable fan base.

Since Khan’s dismissal last year, Pakistan has seen severe political unrest.

Shehbaz Sharif applauded the Islamabad High Court for releasing his brother on bail.

“The disqualification of the elected prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, was founded on a false and contrived narrative. He suffered abuse and was charged in ridiculous instances. His innocence would have been shown in any fair trial, he stated on X, then known as Twitter.

Shehbaz Sharif’s administration failed to control inflation, despite his claims that he was able to prevent the nation from defaulting, and as a result, the Pakistan Muslim League is today very unpopular. Nawaz Sharif is set to start appearing before several courts in Islamabad on October 24 in order to deal with his pending legal problems, but the party still wants him to lead its election campaign.