Nawaz Sharif touches down in Dubai ahead of Pakistan return.

DUBAI -- Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif has landed in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), ahead of his much-anticipated return to Pakistan.

The three-time prime minister is set to return to Pakistan on October 21 (Saturday) after spending four years in self-exile in London after being allowed to travel despite being sentenced to prison.

His arrival comes after a few hours of delay as he was held up in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for an important meeting, sources told Geo News. He was given "special protocol" on arrival at the Dubai airport.

Nawaz will be meeting a selected group of people during his two-day stay in Dubai and will leave for Pakistan on Saturday morning - first to Islamabad and then to Lahore.

Nawaz will be accompanied by around 150 people on his return to Pakistan in a chartered plane. Journalists, politicians and activists have booked the ticket for Pakistan's return.

All the legal hurdles were removed earlier in the day in the smooth return of the former prime minister after he was granted protective bail in two graft cases while his arrest warrant in the...