Nawaz Sharif, the former Pakistani prime minister, has vowed to return to his country and contest forthcoming elections despite being deported after four hours when he tried to do so two weeks ago.

"I have to go back and fight elections," Sharif said, speaking publicly for the first time since he was bundled onto a plane to Jeddah by Pakistani commandoes. "It's not about being prime minister again; it's about putting the country back under the rule of law and restoring the constitution.

"If Benazir Bhutto goes back and I'm not allowed to, who's going to accept the elections as free and fair?" Sharif said, referring to his political rival and former premier who has pledged to return to contest parliamentary elections that must be held by mid-January. Bhutto has been engaged in a series of US-backed negotiations with General Pervez Musharraf, the Pakistani leader, and has said she will return from her self-imposed exile on October 18.

For Sharif, it's the second time that he has been in exile in Saudi Arabia since being overthrown in Musharraf's coup in 1999. The following year he was convicted of hijacking and sedition, and given a life sentence. But after an intervention by Crown Prince Abdullah — now the king of Saudi Arabia — who gave personal assurances to guarantee Sharif's conduct, he was allowed to go into exile in Jeddah. Last month Pakistan's supreme court ruled that Sharif had an "inalienable right" to return home. However, top Saudi officials warned that it would not be "wise" and on Sharif's arrival at Islamabad airport on September 10, he found himself prevented from entering the country.

Bhutto was killed by bomb blast

The team from the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command have backed the claim that Benazir Bhutto was not shot

Multimedia

• Pictures: death of Benazir Bhutto

• Pictures: Pakistan

BACKGROUND

• Pakistan in turmoil as ‘martial law’ imposed

• Bhutto escapes as bombers kill 126

• Timeline: Pakistan's period of turmoil

• The man out to oust a President

• Internal crisis gives Pakistan reason for hope

Related Links

• ‘Terror’ scientist to fight house arrest

Sharif denied government claims that he had chosen to be deported rather than face jail. "That's absolute rubbish," he said. "It was a trap, a total, total deception.

"Their plan was to get my passport from me while I was in the plane so they could stamp it, fly me away and claim I had entered then left of my own accord," he said. "They held me in the plane for 1 hours but when I refused to hand over my passport eventually took us to the lounge where we waited two more hours.

"Finally the director of the National Accountability Bureau, [the government's anti-corruption outfit], came with 20 or 30 commandoes. He told me there were charges and cases against you and that I was under custody and should follow them.

"They were pushing and pulling my arms and manhandling me. I thought they were going to take me in a helicopter to Attock Fort or Rawalpindi jail but instead they took me to a PIA plane where I was sat in a row with non-uniformed security agents either side. Only after we had been in the air for an hour was I told we were going to Jeddah. I was horrified."

On arrival he was received by Prince Muqrin bin Abdul Aziz, the Saudi intelligence chief, who had met Musharraf in Islamabad the previous day. That meeting had been followed by a rare press conference, at which he had warned that Sharif should not violate the terms of King Abdullah's agreement of staying out of politics for 10 years. Sharif insists he will not give up his fight against Musharraf who will stand for re-election as president by parliament on October 6. "He stopped me going back because he knew I was a threat and would have prevented him getting the electoral college [vote] he needs."

Last week the supreme court began hearing petitions from opposition parties challenging Musharraf's "dual role" as leader of the country and head of the army and contesting his right to run. Their ruling is expected early this week. The courts have shown surprising autonomy in recent months, refusing to accept Musharraf's attempts to remove the chief justice, but are thought unlikely to rule against him on this. One leading lawyer said: "The judges feel they have been independent enough recently and it's time for some stability."

Musharraf last week pledged that he would take off his uniform once re-elected president and appoint a new army chief. But Sharif insisted: "That doesn't solve the problem — it's too late."

Times Recommends

• The Japanese Prime Minister is doomed: or is he?
• Brighton company 'involved in cyber attack'
• The art of survival: it’s all in the mind