PAKISTAN:Despite death threats and deepening turmoil, Benazir Bhutto is due to fly into Karachi today, ending eight years of self-imposed exile and launching one of Pakistan's most ambitious political resurrections.
The charismatic opposition leader, who fled in 1999 under a cloud of corruption charges, is returning in the hope of becoming prime minister for a third time in general elections due by mid-January. But she must first overcome deep scepticism about a controversial alliance with her old rival, Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf.
Last night, a boisterous mood gripped Karachi, a sprawling metropolis of 16 million people, as supporters flooded in from around the country. Giant Bhutto posters hung from street corners and young men on motorcycles zipped through traffic in the centre of the city, yelling and waving Bhutto flags. Party officials predict a crowd of a million people to greet Ms Bhutto off a commercial flight at 1pm today; at least 100,000 looked likely.
Police sealed off side roads with shipping containers and bomb squads combed the streets following threats by a Taliban commander, Baitullah Masood, to dispatch suicide-bombers to kill Ms Bhutto. More than 3,500 police officers and 5,000 supporters will patrol the route and city schools will be closed.
Ms Bhutto will move through the city on top of a truck-mounted, bulletproof platform equipped with anti-bomb jamming devices. The procession will crawl towards the tomb of Pakistan's founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah - a 16km (10-mile) journey which officials said could take the entire day.
Speaking in Dubai, Ms Bhutto predicted that her return would trigger a transition from military to civilian rule.
"My return heralds for the people of Pakistan the turn of the wheel from dictatorship to democracy, from exploitation to empowerment, from violence to peace," she said, flanked by her husband and two daughters.
She warned that any bomber who tried to kill her would "burn in hell" under Islamic law.
"I am very proud of what my mother is doing," said Bakhtawar, her eldest daughter.
The dramatic scenes are expected to reinject colourful populism into Pakistan's sterile political arena. But the homecoming is also tainted by long-standing corruption allegations and bitter family feuds.
Many supporters of Ms Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) are deeply unhappy about talks with Gen Musharraf. In return for her support, Gen Musharraf, whose popularity is diving, signed an amnesty against corruption charges which have dogged Ms Bhutto since she left power in 1996.
The Oxford-educated politician also leaves behind allegations in Spain and Switzerland, where prosecutors are investigating allegations of kickbacks involving tens of millions of dollars. In 2003, a Swiss court convicted her of money-laundering and ordered her to pay $11 million (€7.75 million) to the Pakistani government. The conviction was thrown out when she contested it, but the investigation continues. Ms Bhutto has always denied any wrongdoing.
Ms Bhutto's return is most bitterly opposed by some of her own relatives - the legacy of rivalries which have divided the Bhutto dynasty. "I'm scared for what this means for this country. It's so repulsive," said Fatima Bhutto, a 25-year-old niece. "But her return doesn't upset me."
Fatima Bhutto, a newspaper columnist, blames Ms Bhutto for the death of her father, Murtaza, who was gunned down by police in murky circumstances in 1996. Ms Bhutto was prime minister at the time. Impassioned and articulate, Fatima Bhutto is considered a possible future rival for Ms Bhutto. But her party - a splinter of the PPP - has little support, and her Lebanese mother, Ghinwa, will contest the family seat at the next election.
Ms Bhutto will hope to answer her critics today with a convincing display of public support. She made history in 1988, becoming the world's first Muslim female leader.
Now, though, her political future has become intertwined with that of Gen Musharraf. Yesterday the supreme court began hearing a legal challenge to his October 6th re-election. Gen Musharraf's bitter rival, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, the chief justice he tried to dismiss last spring, has excused himself from the case.
Ms Bhutto also has pressing legal worries: in a few weeks the supreme court is due to start hearing a challenge to the new corruption amnesty. If the amnesty is overturned, she could be faced with a fresh prosecution.