BB fearful of Taliban threat

LONDON—Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto spoke of risks to her life as Pakistani Taliban militants were on Sunday quoted as saying they would launch suicide attacks against her when she returns home after eight years in exile.
’I know there are security risks, people who want to kill me and to scuttle the restoration of democracy,’’ Bhutto said in an interview with the Sunday Times ahead of her planned return home on October 18.‘’But with my faith in god and trust in the people of Pakistan, I’m sure the party workers will be there and will protect me,’’ she added.
Bhutto, who is seeking to oust President Pervez Musharraf in promised democratic elections, spoke as Baitullah Mehsud, a Pakistani Taliban leader linked to the al-Qaeda terror network, said that suicide bombers would launch attacks on her as soon as she returned.
In the interview, Bhutto herself declared her determination to oust Musharraf but denied she was returning as part of a US-endorsed plan. ‘’I know some people are saying this is an American plan, but my agenda has always been a Pakistan agenda. Since 1977 the US has supported military dictatorship, first General Zia, then Musharraf, so it’s a very welcome development that the US is calling out for democracy and the holding of free and fair elections.—Online