Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Asif [Images] returned home on Friday after spending 19 days in detention in Dubai over a drug-related incident.

Asif arrived in Karachi from Dubai and without coming out of the terminal caught a connecting flight to Lahore [Images], where the Pakistan Cricket Board headquarters are located.

He did not speak to the media at the airport.

The PCB said in a statement that the attorney general of Dubai had issued instructions to release Asif and repatriate him to Pakistan.

"The PCB welcomes this decision and is relieved this ordeal is over. We appreciate the professional manner in which this whole issue was dealt with by the Dubai Police prosecution department and the UAE authorities," the statement said.

Asif, who has played 11 Tests, was detained on June 1 while returning from India after playing in the Indian Premier League [Images]. Authorities found him in possession of a small quantity of contraband which was later found to be a recreational drug.