Bhutto prepares return as Musharraf awaits court ruling

Thousands of Benazir Bhutto's supporters are gathering in Karachi on the eve of her return from exile, as Pakistan's supreme court is set to decide whether General Pervez Musharraf is eligible to be president for another term.

Police have deployed bomb disposal squads and sealed off roads ahead of Ms Bhutto's return to the city, where she hopes one million people will greet the end of her eight-year exile.

"My return heralds for the people of Pakistan the turn of the wheel from dictatorship to democracy," Ms Bhutto said at a news conference in Dubai.

After her planned arrival in Karachi tomorrow afternoon she is expected to team up with her old rival Gen Musharraf in a western-backed power-sharing deal.

He was elected president by an electoral college earlier this month. But his victory can only become official if his eligibility for office is approved by the Supreme Court.

The nine-member court resumed hearings in Islamabad today. It's uncertain how it will rule.

Ms Bhutto will need to secure a third term as prime minister after elections in January. She has been promised an amnesty from corruption charges that made her leave Pakistan in 1999.

She has received assassination threats if she returns after saying that she would cooperate with the American military in tracking down Osama bin Laden.

Asked about the threats, Ms Bhutto said today: "Muslims know if they attack a woman they will burn in hell."

The authorities in Karachi appealed to Ms Bhutto to abandon plans for a 10-mile procession through the city, saying it would leave her vulnerable.

"We have informed Ms Bhutto and her team of the situation and advised them to cut short the programme instead of going for a 18-20 hours long procession as this would be tantamount to inviting trouble," said Ghulam Muhammad Mohtarem, the home secretary of Sindh province, whose capital is Karachi.

Ms Bhutto's Pakistan People's party (PPP) is organising rallies and convoys of supporters across Sindh. The party is predicting more than one million people.

Thousands of her supporters have already arrived from the city of Multan, in neighbouring Punjab province, and from Pakistan's portion of divided Kashmir.

A shipping container fortified with bulletproof glass is being prepared to convey Bhutto through Karachi. In addition 3,500 police and paramilitary troops and 5,000 party volunteers will guard the streets, officials say.

Overnight, police blocked three access roads on the motorway leading from Karachi airport. Bomb disposal squads will start sweeping the route later today.

Gen Musharraf, who seized power in a 1999 coup, has seen his popularity fall since a failed attempt to oust the country's top judge in the spring.

The deal with Ms Bhutto appears aimed at boosting his political base as he vies to extend his rule.