Nawaz returns to take fourth shot at power.

ISLAMABAD -- In a political spectacle, the three-time former premier Nawaz Sharif is all set to make his long-anticipated return to the country on Saturday (today), ending his four-year self-imposed exile in London.

The PML-N supremo is stepping onto Pakistan's soil to marshal his political party for political influence and take a fourth shot at power. His homecoming comes as the country veers toward high-stakes general elections next year, setting the stage for a gripping political showdown.

Threatened with arrests and dogged by high-profile corruption charges, Nawaz has sat out the last four years in London after he was granted temporary leave to travel abroad for medical reasons in 2019. The last door to his return was cracked open recently after being granted pre-emptive bail.

However, his return couldn't have been timed more dramatically as it aligns with the incarceration of his primary rival, ex-PM Imran Khan, and the disarray within Imran's political party in the wake of the May 9 incidents.

In a fascinating twist, despite the PTI chief's imprisonment, his popularity remains undiminished. It's against this backdrop that the PML-N sees Nawaz as the only figure holding the key to rekindling the public's faith as the elections edge closer.

Read Nawaz's return a big test for judiciary: PTI

Despite all the preparation...