London
Former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto spoke of risks to her
life as Pakistani Taliban militants were Sunday quoted as saying
they would launch suicide attacks against her when she returns home
after eight years in exile.
"I know there are security risks, people who want to kill me and to
scuttle the restoration of democracy," Bhutto said in an interview
with the Sunday Times ahead of her planned return home on Oct 18.
"But with my faith in god and trust in the people of Pakistan, I'm
sure the party workers will be there and will protect me," she
added.
Bhutto, who is seeking to oust President Pervez Musharraf in
promised democratic elections, spoke as Baitullah Mehsud, a
Pakistani Taliban leader linked to the Al Qaeda terror network, said
that suicide bombers would launch attacks on her as soon as she
returned.
Mehsud is holding more than 250 Pakistani soldiers as hostages and
has been blamed for organising suicide bombings, the Sunday
Telegraph reported.
Farahatullah Babar, a spokesman for Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party
(PPP) said, "The danger to her life is always there if she returns
but we have decided that she will return at any cost."
Urging the government to ensure her safety, he added: "After all,
she was prime minister twice and deserves security cover when
somebody threatens her so brazenly."
According to reports here, some PPP members have already received
envelopes containing bullets as a warning.
In the interview, Bhutto herself declared her determination to oust
Musharraf but denied she was returning as part of a US-endorsed
plan.
"I know some people are saying this is an American plan, but my
agenda has always been a Pakistan agenda. Since 1977 the US has
supported military dictatorship, first Gen. Zia, then Musharraf, so
it's a very welcome development that the US is calling out for
democracy and the holding of free and fair elections.
"The last dictatorship of Gen. Zia ended after a plane crash. One
should not wait for planes to fall out of the sky for dictators to
die. One should try to move forward, so if there can be a peacefully
negotiated transfer, I think that's much better for Pakistan."
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