Bhutto in Karachi, to speak to the press soon

IBN: Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto landed in Pakistan on Saturday night within hours of President Pervez Musharraf imposing Emergency in the country and promulgated the Provisional Constitutional Order. Bhutto landed hours before midnight at the Karachi International Airport and from there she headed to her residence in a convoy followed by hundreds of supporter. She left Karachi airport for home after remaining in the plane for several hours after flying in from Dubai.

On her arrival in Karachi, she was not allowed to deboard. But finally, Benazir came out of Karachi Airport after remaining in the plane for several hours following her return from Dubai.          

 

There were speculation that Bhutto will be arrested on arrival and put under house arrest. However, there was no roadblock on her way. Some supporters of her Pakistan People Party gathered at the airport to greet her. Benazir cut short her four-day stay in Dubai, where she had gone to meet her family, following imposition of emergency in the country.

The 54-year-old former premier’s family had remained in Dubai when she returned to Pakistan on October 18 after President Pervez Musharraf issued an Ordinance to grant her amnesty in corruption cases. Earlier, Benazir’s husband and Pakistan People’s Party leader Asif Ali Zardari had claimed that Benazir knew that Emergency has been declared in Pakistan and had decided to move to Pakistan in spite of that. “She had promised the people to return,” Zardari said. He insisted that Benazir’s presence in Pakistan “will make a difference”. “Her presence shall rally all the forces of democracy and give everybody the heart that democracy is alive,” he said. Benazir’s PPP has been opposing Gen Musharraf’s Provisional Constitutional Order in Parliament. “We condemn it and we are hoping that the forces of democracy will emerge stronger,” Zardari said.

Gen Musharraf imposed a state of Emergency in Pakistan on Saturday in the wake of a rapid deterioration in the security situation and growing uncertainty over his position in the face of a legal challenge to his re-election in uniform.Asked about his party’s reaction to President Pervez Musharraf’s latest move, Zardari said: “We are condemning it and hope that we can do something about it… We will oppose the Emergency and will make sure that democracy is restored.”

Meanwhile, Nawaz Sharif on Saturday night appealed to Bhutto and all other political parties in the country to unite to rescue the country from this ‘terrible crisis’. “The time has come for all the political forces to put their heads together and save the country,” he said in an interview to CNN-IBN.When asked if he was thinking of joining Bhutto to fight the Emergency, he said the situation was grave. “We have not witnessed such a grave situation in the 60 years of

Pakistan’s history.” He said the Western countries, including the United States, should take a ‘very clear cut’ position on the situation in

Pakistan.