PAKISTAN: Benazir Bhutto kicks off election campaign in Pakistan's northwest despite criticism from Imran Khan

Pakistan's former prime minister Benazir Bhutto launches her party's election campaign in northwest Pakistan by visiting the city of Peshawar, as Pakistan's cricket-turned-politician Khan says taking part in this "election is an offence". Pakistan's former prime minister Benazir Bhutto kicked off her election campaign in the power base of Islamist groups in the country's northwest on Saturday (December 1). Bhutto, who survived an assassination attempt blamed on Islamist militants last month, urged Pashtuns living on the Afghan border to vote for her. Addressing around 2,000 party activists in Peshawar, the capital of North West Frontier Province, appealed to them "not to fall into the trap of those who believe in violence, and to reject those who want to form a government at gunpoint." Bhutto, who came back to Pakistan from an eight year exile last month, said she had been told before returning home that al Qaeda and the Taliban had sent suicide squads to kill her, but she had decided to return "because I'm not afraid of anyone but God." Pakistani tribal areas adjoining NWFP have been known as safe havens for al Qaeda and the Taliban militants after U.S.-led forces launched a hunt for them in Afghanistan in 2001. But in recent years, militants have spread their activities towards urban centres of NWFP, including Peshawar. The provincial government had made strict security arrangements for Bhutto's day-long visit to Peshawar. All roads along her route were manned by security personnel. Police officials had also taken positions on top of all the houses and buildings in the area and heavy traffic including buses, wagons and trucks were diverted to other routes to avoid traffic jams on her route. Meanwhile, Pakistan cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan has said on Saturday that those political parties, which take part in this "fraud (elections)" will benefit the General (Musharraf) and strengthen his hands "Those political parties, which take part in this fraud (elections), they will simply benefit the General (Musharraf) and strengthen the hands of a General who is backing George Bush's agenda. And they will deceive the whole nation, like Mir Jaffer and Mir Saddiq betrayed the Muslims," Khan told protesting reporters in the Lahore Press Club premises. Opponents of Musharraf say they can discredit the vote if they unite in a wholesale boycott but distrust prevents them cooperating. Some calculate they might exert more pressure on Musharraf by besting his political allies in parliament. Khan's own party Tehrik-e-Insaaf (Movement for Justice), is small, but he has joined opposition leaders, including two-time former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, in pushing for a boycott. His party has not registered to run in the election while Sharif's and Bhutto's have. Khan was among thousands of opponents and lawyers Musharraf rounded up and detained after he imposed emergency rule on Nov.3. He escaped initial house arrest and was then caught after a failed bid to start a student uprising. He was charged under anti-terror laws, but laughs it off. President Musharraf this week retired from the army and promised to lift emergency rule on December 16, fulfilling two key demands from Bhutto but there are no signs yet that they are resuming a dialogue.

ITN Source | December 1, 2007

Tags:. .lawyers. .cooperating. .blamed. .afghanistan. .urged