Bhutto begins election campaign

Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto arrived in north-western Pakistan today to launch her election campaign, a day after unveiling her party's platform despite calls from other opposition groups to boycott the January 8 vote.

Bhutto travelled in a bullet-proof black Mercedes under police escort from the capital, Islamabad, to Peshawar where she appealed for support from ethnic Pashtuns who predominate in the volatile border region assailed by Islamic militancy.

She was greeted by hundreds of flag-waving supporters of her Pakistan People's Party who chanted "Long Live Benazir!"

"I ask our Pashtun brothers to come forward for peace. They have supported the Pakistan People's Party in the past and once again they must support the Pakistan People's Party," she said.

"The Pakistan People's Party will give them security, peace and employment and will bring development to their areas so their problems can be solved."

Bhutto, a two-time prime minister whose return to Pakistan from exile in October was targeted by suicide bombers, is the first major political leader to launch a campaign since President Pervez Musharraf quit his army post and became a civilian leader this week.

Peshawar, about 100 miles west of Islamabad, is far from her political heartland in southern Pakistan. The conservative city near the Afghan border is a stronghold of Islamic groups who currently control the provincial government.

Bhutto, whose pro-Western outlook could make her unpopular among Pashtun voters, made her first stop at the home of a party activist to express condolences over the recent death of his father. Dozens of police, some with metal detectors, guarded the area, and commandos with rifles were positioned on rooftops.

Party spokesman Farhatullah Babar said she will also meet party leaders to discuss how to ensure the success of their candidates.

"This visit to Peshawar kickstarts her election campaign," Babar said.

Under pressure from the US and domestic opposition parties, Musharraf says he is trying to engineer a transition to democracy, eight years after he seized power in a coup, but remains deeply unpopular in Pakistan.

He has urged political parties to fully participate in the vote, but former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, leader of a key opposition coalition, says he intends to boycott the elections unless Musharraf reinstates judges he ousted on November 3 when he declared a state of emergency.

Bhutto says she would only boycott the vote if all opposition parties do the same. But by unveiling her party's policies on Friday and now starting her campaign she has signalled an intent to participate - reviving speculation she could cooperate with Musharraf if her party wins the election.

Her campaign platform promises more money for education, health and environmental protection, and cheap loans to help small businesses create jobs.

Musharraf - who was sworn in Thursday for a new five-year presidential term - has announced he intends to lift the state of emergency by December 16 and restore the constitution before the elections.

However, he has said the deposed judges - who were axed as they were about to issue a ruling that could have derailed his new term - will not be reinstated.