The former Pakistani prime minister, Ms Benazir Bhutto, has ruled out returning soon to her country, where she faces prison on bribery charges, saying she fears for her life. "Going back would pose a danger to my life given the recent attempt to murder my husband while he was in police custody," Ms Bhutto told the BBC in London. "The regime wants to put me away. They want to silence all dissent.
Ms Bhutto's husband, Mr Asif Ali Zardari, who is in jail on a variety of charges, was rushed to a Karachi hospital bleeding from the mouth on Wednesday, two days after suffering injuries to his neck and wrist while under interrogation. Police and officials said he slashed himself on Monday with a broken drinking glass in a suicide attempt.