Bhutto flew to Lahore, which is a stronghold of the ruling PML-Q, amidst tight security arrangements at the airport here.

The airport was surrounded by security personnel who prevented all persons, including PPP workers and the media, from entering the building. The two-time former premier has demanded that Musharraf should restore the constitution and fundamental rights and hold the general election as scheduled in mid-January.

Addressing a gathering of diplomats here on Saturday night, she said dictatorship is fuelling extremism and Pakistan “under dictatorship is a pressure cooker”.

Bhutto also urged Musharraf to quit as army chief and to release all people arrested under emergency regulations, including hundreds of workers of her Pakistan People’s Party.

Bhutto’s planned long march, which will traverse a distance of nearly 300 km, is expected to be the PPP’s largest show of strength.

Stepping up pressure

Though Bhutto has given Musharraf time till November 15 to give up his uniform and end the emergency, the march will begin from Lahore two days earlier so that the PPP can step up pressure on the beleaguered military ruler.

All political gatherings and rallies are banned under the emergency regulations and it remains to be seen whether authorities in Punjab  whose Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, an outspoken critic of Bhutto. will allow the PPP to go ahead with the march.

PPP leaders have said Bhutto is determined to go ahead with the march under any circumstances. The march will culminate with a sit-in that is likely to be held near the parliament in Islamabad.

Benazir Bhutto has doubted the Musharraf regime’s ability to fight extremism in Pakistan and said that a “large crux” of Islamabad’s talks with the US currently were on holding free and fair elections in the country.

“General (Pervez) Musharraf has certainly said that he wants to fight extremism but I am afraid the present system can’t address the problem,” she said in an interview to Dawn News.

Pointing out that Musharraf was engaged with the US in a dialogue for transition to democracy, Bhutto said: “I am afraid when he suspended the constitution, it was a big shock to the US. “You are talking to move towards democracy, we weren’t talking to move towards dictatorship, now we have suspended our negotiations,” she said.