Pakistan’s former president and co-chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) opposition group Asif Ali Zardari has returned to his home country after 18 months in exile.
Zardari arrived in the Pakistani city of Karachi from Dubai on Friday, and headed to the PPP there.
Upon his arrival, the ex-president promised his supporters, who had gathered to welcome him, that his party will rise to power again.
“It does not matter who is in power today. It matters who will lead us tomorrow,” he said. “I want to send a message to all political actors in this country ─ We may occasionally leave the country, but we will always be buried in its soil.”
Zardari highlighted the security threats facing his country, saying he will make efforts to rid Pakistan of terrorism.
He had left Pakistan in June last year after delivering a critical speech about the country’s powerful military. The PPP denied that its co-chairman went on a self-imposed exile, citing Zardari’s health issues for his trip abroad.
Ahead of Zardari’s return, the paramilitary forces, known as Pakistani Rangers, raided the offices of his aides in Karachi and made a number of arrests.