“The honourable Islamabad High Court has granted Nawaz Sharif protective bail until October 24,” said his lawyer Amjad Pervaiz. “He cannot be arrested on his arrival.”

He served less than one year of a seven-year sentence before being granted permission to seek medical care in the United Kingdom, ignoring court orders to return during former prime minister Imran Khan’s government.

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Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan arrested after being sentenced to jail for 3 years

Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan arrested after being sentenced to jail for 3 years

Later, Sharif was declared an absconder after failing to return.

But his fortunes changed when his brother Shehbaz came to power last year until earlier this year, his government overseeing changes to the law including limiting the disqualification of lawmakers from contesting elections to five years.

The younger Sharif welcomed the court’s decision on Thursday, saying on the X social media platform that his brother Nawaz “was implicated in absurd cases and subjected to mistreatment. Any fair hearing would have established his innocence”.

Analysts have said Sharif’s return has likely been smoothed by a deal between the powerful military establishment and his party to prevent any significant legal challenges.

The caretaker government – in place until elections – has denied any such agreement.

The PML-N party, one of the two dynastic parties of the country that frequently swap power, is planning a massive rally through the streets of Lahore on Saturday.

The party is heavily reliant on Nawaz Sharif’s political clout to boost popularity that has slid with a drowning economy and rampant inflation.

While in exile Sharif was widely believed to have been pulling the strings of his brother’s premiership.

Known as the “Lion of Punjab”, he is a political survivor who has repeatedly roared back to the country’s top office.

Sharif directly ruled the nation for years and remains hugely powerful behind the scenes.

His first period in office, beginning in 1990, ended in 1993 when he was sacked for corruption. The second lasted from 1997 to 1999, when he was deposed by the powerful military in a coup.

He blamed the security establishment for again targeting him in 2017 when the Supreme Court disqualified him from politics for life over corruption allegations.

Prior to his return, Sharif has tempered his anti-army stance.

Pakistan’s military ruled Pakistan for extended periods since independence in 1947 and retains significant influence, even over civilian governments.

Sharif’s lawyers said he would follow up appeals against his convictions, which have been pending since he left, in the hope of overturning them and campaigning for the general election.

Additional reporting by Reuters