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. “We are completely ready for elections,” he told reporters before his flight took off. “Our country, which should have been at the heights of prosperity, has really gone backwards. How did we get here? Why did it come to this?” Analysts say Sharif’s return is likely to have been brokered by the powerful military establishment, which cracked down on Imran Khan’s party after their relationship soured as he was ousted last year. Sharif will travel onwards to the eastern megacity of Lahore, where supporters gathered for a welcome home rally with streets shrouded in green and yellow party banners, posters and flags. More than 7,000 police officers have been enlisted to control crowds expected at the Greater Iqbal park in Lahore, where his homecoming rally is due to take place, according to a senior officer on site. “I’m here to welcome my leader. The inflation is very high and poor people are desperate,” said 18-year-old Razi Ullah. “God has given him a chance to come back and turn things around. He’s done it before.” Sharif’s return has been touted for months by the PML-N party, whose leaders hope Sharif’s political clout and “man of the soil” swagger will revive its flagging popularity. However, the former leader has a conviction for graft and an unfinished prison sentence hanging over him. Earlier this week, the Islamabad high court granted protective bail to Sharif until Tuesday, removing the threat of immediate arrest when he lands back in the country. Sharif has been prime minister three times, but was ousted in 2017 and given a lifetime disqualification from politics after being convicted of corruption. He served less than a year of a seven-year sentence before getting permission to seek medical care in Britain, ignoring subsequent court orders to return during former prime minister Imran Khan’s government. His fortunes changed when his brother Shehbaz Sharif was in power and his government oversaw changes to the law, including limiting the disqualification of lawmakers from contesting elections to five years. Sharif’s return is likely to have been smoothed by a deal between the military establishment and his party to prevent significant legal hurdles, said analyst Zahid Hussain. “There was some sort of arrangement with the military establishment; without that he wouldn’t have decided to come back,” he said. Sharif has seen his political fortunes rise and fall on his relationship with Pakistan’s powerful military establishment – the country’s true kingmakers. Politicians in Pakistan are often tangled in legal proceedings that rights monitors say are orchestrated by the powerful military, which has ruled the country directly for more than half of its history and continues to enjoy immense power. Fans call Sharif “the Lion of Punjab”, the eastern and most populous province where his support is strongest, and he is known to parade big cats at extravagant political events drumming up support. But he faces the tough task of winning over an electorate weary of dynastic politics and a young population that has been captured by Khan’s social media-savvy party. “Sharif’s key challenge is first to establish himself and his party as viable options to replace Imran Khan, who is already popular, and secondly to turn around the economy,” said political analyst Ayesha Siddiqa. Pakistan is currently being led by a caretaker government in the runup to elections.