Three-time Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ended four years of self-imposed exile Saturday, launching his political comeback at a rally attended by thousands of rapturous supporters ahead of elections due next year.
Fireworks marked his arrival at the event in a park in his power base of Lahore, where the streets have been shrouded in green and yellow party banners.
Pakistan is facing overlapping security, economic and political crises ahead of polls pushed back to January 2024, with Sharif's major opponent, the fiercely popular Imran Khan, languishing in jail.