Pakistan ratcheted up pressure on Benazir Bhutto yesterday to delay her planned homecoming this week, as the former premier said she feared retired army officers may be plotting to kill her.
| She might be right, but it's awfully convenient timing ... |
Benazir is set to return from eight years of self-imposed exile on Thursday after President Pervez Musharraf gave her amnesty against corruption charges, in an apparent step toward a US-backed power-sharing deal. But the government has backpedaled and says Benazir should wait until the Supreme Court has ruled on the legality of the amnesty and on the validity of MusharrafÂ’s landslide win in an Oct. 6 presidential vote.
Musharraf says he has sent personal messages to Benazir asking her to stay away for now.
Deputy Information Minister Tariq Azeem said Benazir could be arrested if the Supreme Court upholds legal challenges that were lodged last week against the amnesty. “It is because of this reason that we are asking her to wait until the legal battle is over,” Azeem told AFP. “But at the moment it is highly unlikely the government will arrest her.” |