In 1893, he accepted a year-long contract from Dada Abdulla & Co., an Indian firm, to a post in the Colony of Natal, South Africa, then part of the British Empire.Gandhi was 24 when he arrived in South Africa to work as a legal representative for the Muslim Indian Traders based in the city of Pretoria.He spent 21 years in South Africa, where he developed his political views, ethics and political leadership skills.
He never ran off but he was working there .
But look at pakistan's case , Nawaz Sherif , Benazir Bhuto , Musharaf , every single one of them ran off from pakistan .