Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf will address supporters at a rally in the southern city of Karachi on Sunday via a video link, and announce exactly when he plans to return to his home country, a party spokesman said.

Musharraf, who resigned in 2008, is expected to fly into Pakistan from the United Arab Emirates later this month, accompanied by up to 500 supporters, said Jawed Siddiqi, spokesman for the former president's All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) party.

Siddiqi said Musharraf will return to Pakistan between January 27 and 31, but the exact date will be announced at the rally, after which normal campaigning will begin.

Elections are set to take place in Pakistan next year; Musharraf intends to run.

The former president's expected return, however, could be complicated. He may face the possibility of arrest, Siddiqi said, stemming from the death of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

"President Musharraf told me that although the possibility of arrest is there - there is no way of knowing what will happen, and how dangerous the situation is, until one jumps into the situation head first," he said.

When asked about the risk of arrest, Musharraf's attorney, Chaudry Faisal, said the threat is politically motivated and has no legal bearing. An arrest warrant has been issued for Musharraf, in connection with Bhutto's assassination, but that warrant is being challenged in court, the attorney said.