Pakistan:It was second time lucky for Nawaz Sharif, the former Pakistani prime minister who returned home last night after seven years in exile to scenes of chaotic jubilation.
Frenzied supporters thronged Lahore airport after Mr Sharif landed in a plane organised by the royal family of Saudi Arabia, where Mr Sharif has spent most of his time since fleeing Pakistan in 2000.
Struggling to stay on his feet, the portly opposition leader mounted a hotel reservations desk on the concourse, waving to the jostling crowd and smiling. "This is the proudest day of my life," he said, vowing to take on president Pervez Musharraf. "We can't afford to have dictatorship in Pakistan today; there are too many problems," he said.
The return of another political heavyweight on the heels of Benazir Bhutto last month spells fresh trouble for Gen Musharraf, who appears increasingly unpopular and isolated since declaring emergency rule three weeks ago.
The two men have been bitter rivals since 1999, when Gen Musharraf ousted Mr Sharif in a bloodless coup, and the general apparently allowed him home yesterday with great reluctance.
The dramatic scenes also underscored the strong influence that the House of Saud has quietly wielded over Pakistani affairs for the past 30 years.
Two months ago Mr Sharif attempted to return home by flying to Islamabad. He was greeted by officials bearing a deportation order who bundled him on a Saudi-bound plane. But this time the Saudis wanted Mr Sharif home in time to contest the January 8th elections. Analysts said that conservative-minded Saudi rulers wanted to insert Mr Sharif as a foil to the relatively liberal Ms Bhutto.
Gen Musharraf travelled to Riyadh last week to persuade King Abdullah to change his mind and keep Mr Sharif away until after the poll. But the Saudis insisted their guest should return home and Gen Musharraf appeared to have little choice but to accept.
"I have kissed the hands of Mian Nawaz Sharif!" said Rehan Butt, an employee of Pakistan's national airline at Lahore airport last night.
Mr Sharif led a slow-moving procession towards the city, travelling in a bullet-proof Mercedes provided by the Saudi authorities. It was a reminder of the dangerous times Pakistan is going through. A suicide bomber struck a much larger welcome home procession for Ms Bhutto last month, killing at least 140 people.
Two more blasts at the gates of the army headquarters in Rawalpindi on Saturday left another 35 people dead. Several were employees of the powerful Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) agency.
Mr Sharif and his officials denied reports of a secret pact with Gen Musharraf. "There is no deal. I know my leader, and no way will he make a deal," said Nazhat Aamir Sadiq, a leader of the women's wing of his party.
The return is a bitter blow for Gen Musharraf and spells trouble for his political party, which draws its support from the same Punjabi constituencies as the former prime minister. "The Q-league will come under pressure," said Ayaz Amir, a commentator and former Sharif parliamentarian, referring to Gen Musharraf's Pakistan Muslim League-Q party.
It also marks a remarkable comeback by Mr Sharif. Two spells as prime minister in the 1990s were marked by misrule, corruption and controversy.
Famously he tried to have himself declared as the "commander of the faithful", and in 1998 plunged Pakistan into international isolation by ordering the first nuclear tests.
A leaked intelligence report in 2000 exposed how he had pressured a high court judge to jail his rival, Ms Bhutto, and her husband, Asif Zardari, for at least seven years on corruption charges. When a supreme court decision was going against Mr Sharif in 1997, thuggish supporters stormed the court.
But as Gen Musharraf's political fortunes have dramatically dipped this year, Mr Sharif has successfully repackaged his image. Tough statements condemning the general as a dictator chimed with growing condemnation from lawyers and civil society groups at home.
Returning home, he positioned himself as a champion of the judiciary and the rule of law. "I have no lust for any post or power," he said as supporters carried him off. "We want democracy and nothing else." Welcoming him back, Ms Bhutto kept open the possibility of a future election alliance. Mr Sharif is expected to file his election nomination papers today.
Saudi Arabia acquired a prominent role in Pakistani politics in the late 1970s during the rule of Islamist dictator Zia ul-Haq. The relationship strengthened in the 1980s when Saudi intelligence matched secret American funding of the Afghan jihad to the tune of several billion dollars.
Gen Musharraf relied on Saudi oil subventions worth $1 billion (€674 million) a year to keep the Pakistani economy afloat in the late 1990s. The ISI has maintained a close relationship with Saudi intelligence.
Mr Sharif must now decide whether to boycott the January poll, which few believe will be free or fair under emergency rule. Ms Bhutto filed her nomination papers in Sindh yesterday. The opposition has until December 16th to make a decision.
- (Guardian service)