Former premier and Chairperson Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Benazir Bhutto's plan to return home next week will not be affected by a Supreme Court decision to examine the legality of a government amnesty, and she will fly directly from Dubai, an aide said Friday.
"The Supreme Court's decision will not affect Benazir's plan to return to Pakistan on October 18," Mohammad Akram Farooqui, president of her Pakistan People's Party in the United Arab Emirates, told AFP.
Farooqui said Bhutto had now decided to fly to Karachi directly from Dubai in the UAE instead of going back to London first and then returning to Pakistan via Dubai. Supreme Court of Pakistan said earlier Friday it would decide whether a government amnesty for Bhutto was legal, setting the stage for a fresh showdown with President Pervez Musharraf.
The move means Benazir, who had said she would return to Pakistan on October 18, could still face corruption charges if the court overturns the controversial "reconciliation ordinance" that Musharraf signed a week ago. Farooqui argued that the court move was in fact "in Benazir's favour" because the court rejected a request not to implement the ordinance pending a ruling.
Another aide in the UAE reiterated on Friday that Benazir rejected a call by Musharraf to delay her homecoming until the Supreme Court rules on the legality of his landslide victory in last Saturday's controversial presidential election. "I promised the public (to return) and I will definitely go back. I will face any problem (that might arise). Pakistan needs Benazir Bhutto," the aide, Chaudhry Zubir Bashir, quoted Bhutto as telling a meeting with aides in Dubai Thursday.