ISLAMABAD, May 15: After spending 20 years in an Indian jail in a murder case, Pakistani scientist Dr Khalil Chishti returned to the country on Tuesday.

Dr Chishti was sentenced for life on Jan 31 last year by a trial court for a murder that took place in Ajmer in 1992.

He landed at Benazir International Airport at 11:30pm amid unruly scenes brought on by mismanagement on the part of Interior Minister Rehman Malik and misbehaviour by PPP workers. Clad in a beige safari suit and wearing a Jinnah cap, Dr Chishti looked haggard and weak.

He came out of the airport in a wheelchair and spoke to newsmen in a very low voice.

The 85-year-old microbiologist will join his family in Karachi on Wednesday. Before leaving for Karachi, he will meet President Asif Ali Zardari at the presidency.

He was taken straight to Marriott Hotel from the airport by the interior minister to spend a night there.

There was a perception that he was first taken to Islamabad, instead of Karachi, so that the government and the president could claim credit for his release.

However, the interior minister told newsmen that “it was Dr Chishti’s desire to first arrive in Islamabad so that he can thank the president”.

President Zardari had sent a special plane to bring Dr Chishti from New Delhi.

Dr Chishti said he had no words to express gratitude to the nation and the government. “After 20 years of imprisonment, I had lost hopes for a return to my country, but today I have no words how to express my feelings,” he said.

He said he was also thankful to the Indian government for allowing him to meet his family even though his case was still pending before the Indian Supreme Court. “I want to celebrate these happy moments in the twilight of my life with my family,” he said.

The scientist said he was implicated in a fake case because he had nothing to do with the murder.

The Indian Supreme Court has granted interim bail to Dr Chishti during the pendency of his appeal against a Rajasthan High Court order upholding his conviction.