Bhutto Put Under House Arrest

"We won't do it. How can we have elections during emergency rule with so many opposition figures in prison?" Liaqat Baloch, secretary general of Pakistan's most popular Islamic party, Jamaat-e-Islami, said in an interview, adding that police had detained several members of his party.

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 bring about free and fair elections.

Commonwealth foreign ministers warned in a statement that the planned elections "would not be credible unless the state of emergency is removed and constitutional rights of the people, political parties and independence of the judiciary are restored." The ministers agreed to review Pakistan's progress at their next meeting, on Nov. 22, and to "suspend Pakistan from the Councils of the Commonwealth" if the government fails to implement the specified measures, the statement said.

The government's moves Monday were the latest setbacks for the opposition since Musharraf declared emergency rule, fired several Supreme Court justices and suspended the constitution.

A key ally in U.S. counterterrorism efforts, Musharraf said the moves were essential if he were to have a freer hand in battling extremism. However, Western diplomats and even his aides have said privately that his main objective was to stop the Supreme Court from ruling his Oct. 6 reelection invalid.

Although he set a date for parliamentary elections, Musharraf declined to say when the emergency would be lifted and the constitution restored. Bhutto has warned that she would hold no talks with Musharraf as long as the constitution was suspended.

"If there's an emergency, if the constitution is not restored, there cannot be talks," she said Monday.

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."

The diplomat said that unless emergency rule was soon, Musharraf would "risk serious domestic problems."

Pakistan receives much of its foreign aid from the United States -- more than $10 billion since Sept. 11, 2001, when Musharraf pledged to help the Bush administration in counterterrorism efforts.

Bhutto's procession would have taken her along the storied Grand Trunk Road and through Punjabi towns and villages. The rally, which was also intended to pressure Musharraf to step down as army chief, would have been a boost for Bhutto.

"It's sending a message to Musharraf, because this region is the heart of Pakistan," said Omar R. Quraishi, op-ed editor of the News, an English-language paper in Pakistan. "It has a lot of power, if she can do it."

Staff writer William Branigin in Washington contributed to this report.