(CNN) -- About a decade ago, Pervez Musharraf was a powerful president, torn between complicated ties with the United States and rising Islamic militants at home. After four and a half years of self-imposed exile, the former Pakistani president hopes to reassert his power. Musharraf returned to Karachi on Sunday to help his political party gain momentum prior to the May general election. The retired general, who wrested power in a bloodless coup in 1999 and lost it nine years later, acknowledges that happens next is uncertain. "It is risky, certainly," he said. "But when I formed this party, the point was to go back and fight the elections. Why I'm going back is to do something for the country. The cause is much greater than self. Therefore, I'm prepared to take the risks for the sake of my country."
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Musharraf must appear in court
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"It's risky, certainly," he says about his planned return
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He plans to have private security as well as government security
Under his leadership, @placeholder attained respectable economic growth rates and established a generally favorable investment climate.