Time will tell if this is a wise move by a man who was despised by many at the time his tenure and power came to an end but who, in some places, is now remembered as a better leader than those who have followed. However, despite this, there is no evidence at all that Musharraf has enough ground level support to make a significant impact on the electoral picture. Indeed, it is unclear from where he intends to draw his following, or if the APML is even capable of picking up more than an odd seat or two, especially in places where it is not aided by the powerful MQM [Muttahida Qaumi Movement]. ...

The former dictator has spoken in rather typical fashion in both London and Dubai of wishing to save his country and rescue it from the many evils it faces. A few cries of support were heard as he raised these slogans. Few analysts in Pakistan believe these voices will grow. It is, therefore, unclear quite what Musharraf's agenda is and why he should have chosen to return. ...

But whether he can achieve anything in real terms and make any kind of impact on an election scene dominated by the major parties that he had once tried to squash - like the PPP and the PML-N - is yet to be seen. His advent will simply add to the overall election time flurry.

Musharraf may be trying to take a different route into power politics this time around. But it isn't easy to forget the way he entered it in the first place. His remarks to the media before he returned to Pakistan were revealing; the former dictator implied he thinks the military should have a formal role in governance. It wasn't clear exactly what he meant or whether he would limit that role to security matters, but his promise in 1999 to save the country from what he called "sham democracy", and his decidedly undemocratic actions that followed means that this comment cannot be easily dismissed.

As he campaigns for the polls Gen Musharraf needs to clarify to the public his views on the military's role in the kind of democracy, as flawed as it may be, that Pakistan is now trying to build. Promises of better governance are all well and good, but in order to be taken seriously as a politician he will have to prove that his views on civil-military relations have changed.

Military dictators more often than not consider themselves to be more popular than they are, so he is probably in for a bit of a reality check; the relatively low turnout at Karachi's airport provided some indication of the struggle that lies ahead for the All Pakistan Muslim League. But Gen Musharraf has decided to enter electoral politics, and the court of the people can decide whether or not he is worthy of their vote even as the law takes its normal course.