Exiled Pakistani ex-president home to 'save' nation despite death threat

(CNN) -- In his first address since returning to Pakistan from self-exile, former President Pervez Musharraf declared his intention to run for office, saying he defied risks to "save" the country.

Musharraf landed in Karachi on Sunday after more than four years in exile. He faces criminal charges, and the Taliban have vowed to unleash a "death squad" to assassinate him.

However, he said, he does not plan to flee again.

"I have put my life in danger and have come to Pakistan -- to you to be the savior of this country," he said at the airport. "I have come to save Pakistan."

He chided people who had doubted that he would return.

"There were rumors that I would not come -- where are those people now?" he asked. "I am here. I have returned."