Bhutto Discloses Date for Return to Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Sept. 14 -- Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto will end eight years of exile Oct. 18 by flying home to Karachi, the nation's largest city, her party announced Friday, although it remains unclear whether she will come back as friend or foe of the president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf.

The announcement, made simultaneously in cities across Pakistan, was greeted in Islamabad by fireworks, showers of rose petals and canned confetti, and chants of "Long live Bhutto!" from supporters of her Pakistan People's Party at a raucous news conference.

"She will reenter Pakistan to a historic welcome," party spokeswoman Sherry Rehman said. "We expect to govern Pakistan if there's a free and fair election. And we expect her to lead Pakistan out of the chaos and darkness."

The party said Bhutto would fly from either London or the United Arab Emirates, where she has spent much of her time in exile, to Karachi, the southern port city that has been her political base.

But amid the fanfare and bold predictions, deep uncertainty persists over exactly how Bhutto, 54, will be treated by the government when she returns and what sort of reaction she will receive from the public.

With elections looming, Musharraf and Bhutto have been locked in intense negotiations over a possible power-sharing deal that would help him secure another term and give her a chance to win back her old job.

Bhutto said in an interview Friday evening that she would return regardless of whether she can reach a compromise with Musharraf. "My decision to come back is independent of any talks we are having with the regime," Bhutto said.

The two sides were believed to be close to signing an agreement at the end of last month, but the talks stalled, and major roadblocks now stand in the way. Bhutto and Musharraf have long been bitter rivals, and the mutual mistrust runs deep.

Nonetheless, they might need each other.

If Bhutto reaches a deal with the government, she would probably face little resistance in coming back, unlike fellow former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who was deported Monday when he tried to return. Sharif had made clear he would not compromise with the government and intended to try to oust Musharraf from office.

If the talks between Bhutto and the government collapse, she could be arrested and forced to stand trial on corruption charges stemming from her two terms as prime minister in the 1980s and '90s.

"She will be dealt with according to the law of the land. If there's any case, she will have to face that case," Information Minister Mohammed Ali Durrani said. However, Durrani also sounded a conciliatory note, saying the government expects that "something positive" will soon come out of the negotiations with Bhutto.