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.