LAHORE, Pakistan — The government early today placed former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto under house arrest for seven days and said her party would be barred from holding a major procession to protest emergency rule.
Bhutto had planned to lead the procession today from Lahore to Islamabad, the capital, more than 200 miles to the west by road.
But the government said it had intelligence suggesting that a suicide bombing targeting Bhutto had been planned and that her detention, in a party activist’s home in Lahore, was for her safety.
The opposition had vowed Monday to push ahead with plans for the procession, but it was unclear how many demonstrators would turn out, given the government’s order and the fact that Bhutto would be prevented from participating. Police had erected barricades around the house where she was staying, and snipers were posted on neighborhood rooftops.
Tariq Azim Khan, a government spokesman, said that even without Bhutto, the procession would not be permitted under the emergency rule that President Pervez Musharraf imposed Nov. 3.
“All rallies, all political gatherings, are outlawed,” Khan said.
Of Bhutto, he said: “She shouldn’t break the law. It’s too dangerous.”
During a visit to the tomb of a renowned 19th-century poet in Lahore on Monday, Bhutto said the procession was necessary “to save Pakistan” and was worth the risk.
Opposition parties threatened Monday to boycott elections planned for Jan. 9 unless emergency rule was lifted. With opposition leaders jailed and the independent news media blocked, they said, a free and fair vote was impossible.
In London, meanwhile, the 53-nation Commonwealth, a grouping made up mostly of former British colonies and dependencies, threatened to suspend Pakistan’s membership unless Musharraf repeals the emergency decree, steps down as army chief, releases political detainees, removes media restrictions and acts rapidly to create conditions for free and fair elections.
The government’s moves Monday were the latest setbacks for the opposition since Mu sharraf declared emergency rule, fired several Supreme Court justices and suspended the constitution.
Bhutto has warned that she would hold no talks with Musharraf as long as the constitution was suspended.
Analysts say that, despite those remarks, Bhutto is still open to a power-sharing deal with Musharraf. Such an agreement had been under negotiation for months before the recent tumult and had the tacit support of the Bush administration.
“Bhutto is a master of public relations,” a Western diplomat said on condition of anonymity. “She’s not going to overthrow her own apple cart.”
Related News
U.S.: Lift emergencylaw before vote.
The Bush administration is dispatching a high-level envoy to Pakistan to tell Gen. Pervez Musharraf face-to-face that the U.S. will not be satisfied with his plan to hold elections unless he first lifts emergency law, administration officials said Monday.
The officials questioned whether elections could be legitimate if held when the country remains under lockdown, with opposition parties unable to campaign or assemble freely. They declined to elaborate on the envoy’s mission and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The New York Times
Government troops on the defensive
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — While Musharraf has justified emergency rule by arguing that he needs a free hand to battle groups — including the Taliban and al-Qaeda — in Pakistan’s northwest border regions, local officials, residents and analysts say that so far, at least, the government’s troops remain on the defensive against extremist forces.
Fighters loyal to a radical cleric have in recent days overrun three additional police stations and now roam unhindered through much of the Swat Valley.
But Maj. Gen. Waheed Arshad hinted that the army was on the verge of launching an operation to stop the losses.
The Washington Post
