Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto, former prime ministers of Pakistan, have chosen very different strategies for their return to their homeland, ruled since 1999 by the US-backed General Pervez Musharraf.

Mr Sharif, the leader of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) whom Gen Musharraf had exiled, has played an outsider’s game, seeking to unseat the army chief through confrontation, on the streets and in the courts. In contrast, Ms Bhutto, encouraged by Washington, has opted for an inside track, risking the credibility of her Pakistan People’s party by seeking a power-sharing deal with the unpopular dictator turned president.