Islamabad, Pakistan: Ex-premier Benazir Bhutto's party on Thursday rejected a call from President Gen. Pervez Musharraf to delay her return from exile, insisting she would land in Pakistan as planned next week to campaign for January elections.
Bhutto, who went into self-imposed exile in 1999 to escape corruption charges, plans a grand homecoming on Oct. 18. After months of power-sharing talks, Pakistan's military leader last week enacted an amnesty quashing cases against her and other politicians.
But Musharraf on Wednesday urged Bhutto to postpone her return to Pakistan until after the Supreme Court rules on his own eligibility for a new five-year presidential term. The court is due to resume hearings on Oct. 17, a day before Bhutto is scheduled to land in Karachi.
"I would say she should not come before" the court verdict, Musharraf said in an interview with Pakistan's ARY news channel. "She should come later, after the 18th (of October)," he said.
Farhatullah Babar, a spokesman for Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party, said the two-time prime minister was sticking to her plans.
"Mohtarma Bhutto will come on Oct. 18 as scheduled," Babar told The Associated Press. Mohtarma is an honorific.
He denied a report in the respected Dawn daily that Bhutto would discuss a possible delay with senior aides on Thursday. He confirmed the meeting was taking place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, but said a postponement was not on the agenda.
Musharraf, who seized power in a 1999 coup, swept a presidential election by lawmakers last weekend, but faces at least a week or so of political limbo until the court decides whether he can take up office. If the court rules in his favor, he has promised to relinquish his command of the army.
But opponents argue that Musharraf should have been disqualified from running anyway under a constitutional bar on public servants seeking elected office.
Speculation persists Musharraf could declare martial law if disqualified. In Wednesday's interview, Musharraf was non-committal on how he would react if the court ruled against him. "We will cross the bridge when we reach it," he said. His term expires Nov. 15.
