Sept. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif returned home from exile to lead a campaign against President Pervez Musharraf, who ousted him in a military coup almost eight years ago.

Pakistani troops surrounded Sharif's plane after it landed at Islamabad International Airport from London, GEO television reported. He disembarked after a two-hour standoff with officials and was taken to the immigration lounge, it added. Two policemen were injured when officers exchanged gunfire with Sharif's supporters in Attock, a city about 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of the capital, the broadcaster said.

``There is a possibility of large scale violence breaking out'' if the government arrests and deports Sharif, said S.D. Muni, a former professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, India. ``Sharif is at the height of his popularity.''

Musharraf, 64, is facing the most serious opposition to his rule since ousting Sharif in 1999. Musharraf plans to run for a second five-year term in presidential elections before Oct. 15, defying opposition demands that he stand down as president and head of the armed forces.

Khawaja Asif, a lawmaker in Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz party, said by telephone today that he'd fight any government bid to deport the former premier in the Supreme Court.

The government has said Sharif will be dealt with in accordance with the law, and declined to say whether he will be arrested or deported. Calls to Information Minister Mohammad Ali Durrani and Deputy Information Minister Tariq Azeem were not immediately answered today.

Saudi Exile

Sharif, 57, who was prime minister from 1990 to 1993 and from 1997 to 1999, was convicted of corruption and treason and sentenced to 14 years in prison after the coup. Musharraf pardoned him in 2000 under an agreement in which Sharif was exiled for 10 years to Saudi Arabia. Sharif says he agreed to live in exile for five years.

Pakistan's Supreme Court last month ordered that the former premier and his brother, Shahbaz Sharif, must not be stopped from returning from exile.

The government deployed hundreds of soldiers at the airport and blocked roads to keep supporters of the former premier away, said Siddique-ul-Farooq, a spokesman for Sharif's party. Officials arrested about 3,000 of Sharif's supporters in the past four days, he added. Police fired tear gas to disperse crowds in Islamabad and nearby Rawalpindi, GEO reported.

Presidential Election

The country's national and provincial lawmakers will vote to elect the president between Sept. 15 and Oct. 15. Parliamentary elections are scheduled to be held by Jan. 15.

Opposition to Musharraf increased after he removed the country's top judge, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, on March 9 on charges of misuse of authority.

The removal sparked widespread demonstrations in support of the chief justice. The Supreme Court rejected Musharraf's decision and reinstated Chaudhry on July 20.

Musharraf has tried to shore up support by seeking a power sharing agreement with Benazir Bhutto, who leads the nation's largest opposition group, the Pakistan Peoples Party.

Bhutto Talks

Bhutto, a former premier who also lives in exile, met Musharraf in Dubai on July 27. She has demanded Musharraf quit as army chief before the presidential election and give up his constitutional power to sack the government.

The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid-i-Azam party, which backs Musharraf, rejected the demands, Dawn newspaper reported yesterday.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, who is a member of the ruling party, said in an interview in Islamabad Sept. 2 that Bhutto and Sharif may be constitutionally barred from contesting the elections and should only return after the ballot.

Bhutto said earlier this month she will announce the date of her return to Pakistan on Sept. 14. Bhutto was premier between 1988 and 1990 and 1994 and 1996. Each time her government was dismissed on charges of corruption. She has lived in self-imposed exile in Dubai and London since 1998.

To contact the reporters on this story: Khalid Qayum in Islamabad at kqayum@bloomberg.net; Khaleeq Ahmed in Islamabad at

Last Updated: September 10, 2007 02:34 EDT