Bhutto to remain under arrest for another day

Lahore, Pakistan: A senior official said on Wednesday that Benazir Bhutto will remain under house arrest for at least another day, after the opposition leader deepened Pakistan's politicial crisis by demanding the resignation of President Gen. Pervez Musharraf.

Authorities put Bhutto under house arrest on Tuesday for the second time since her return from exile, and a senior federal government official told The Associated Press that she was grounded until at least Thursday.

"The position for her will remain like this until at least tomorrow. Then the government will review what to do with her," the official said on condition of anonymity because the matter was politically sensitive and no decision had been taken to release her.

Bhutto said Tuesday that she was working to forge a partnership with Nawaz Sharif, the man overthrown as prime minister in a 1999 coup by Musharraf. She demanded that Musharraf step down, dashing Western hopes that the two moderate leaders would form an alliance to confront strengthening Islamic extremists.

Her detention prevented her from staging a protest procession to the capital, Islamabad. The procession went ahead but was quickly stopped by police, and security forces also clashed with anti-government protesters in other cities.

Bhutto said thousands of her supporters were rounded up, although officials denied detentions on such a large scale.