Runaway ex-Pakistan wicketkeeper returns

Runaway former Pakistan wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider returned home from Britain after receiving government assurances about the safety of his family, witnesses said.

Haider, who turned 25 on Saturday, fled the Pakistan team's hotel in Dubai on November 8 after saying he had received demands that he fix a one-day match against South Africa under threat of death.

Haider arrived by plane in Islamabad on Monday and was escorted by security officials to Interior Minister Rehman Malik's office where he was to meet the minister, who had guaranteed his safety, officials said.Haider was part of the Pakistan team in the series against South Africa in the United Arab Emirates when he went missing on the day of the fifth and final one-day match on November 8.