Nothing will stop my return to Pakistan

"That is not even a remote possibility, nobody can stop me from returning. I don't get stopped so easily," Asif Ali Zardari told the English language Gulf News after arriving in Dubai, where his wife is in self-imposed exile to avoid graft charges in Pakistan.

"In order of priority, first I am here to meet my wife whom I have not seen for the last five-and-a-half years, our family will be reunited, then I will take instruction on how we should handle the future," he added.

Asked if he was prepared for a return to jail if cases are re-opened against him, he said: "In Third World countries like ours, it's a risk you must be willing to take. As for me, jail does not frighten me."

Zardari strongly denied that his release from jail was the result of any "deal".

"If I wanted to make a deal, I could have done it eight years ago," he said.