Pakistani ex-PM Benazir Bhutto to visit her husband and three children in Dubai

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, the target of a suicide bombing nearly two weeks ago, may soon travel to Dubai to visit her husband and three children, her party spokesman said Wednesday.

Photo: Pakistani ex-PM Benazir Bhutto to visit her husband and three children in Dubai

Spokesman Farhatullah Babar said no schedule had been set for a visit to the Arab emirate, although other Bhutto aides said she could leave as early as Wednesday evening.

The aides, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to reveal the plans, said the opposition leader would remain in Dubai until the Supreme Court decides whether President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's recent election victory was constitutional.

A ruling in that case is expected by Friday.

Bhutto returned to Pakistan from eight years of exile on Oct. 18. Her homecoming parade was shattered by a suicide bombing that killed 145 people. That has added to the political turmoil in Pakistan ahead of parliamentary elections due by January.

The verdict in Musharraf's case will be critical for how events will unfold in Pakistan, and whether the two pro-U.S. leaders will be able to hatch an alliance to fight Islamic extremism. Speculation persists that if Musharraf's victory in an Oct. 6 vote by lawmakers is overturned, he could declare an emergency or martial law.

Babar said Bhutto would meet with party leaders at her Karachi residence on Wednesday and that those consultations could go into the night.

"She might be going to see her husband and children, but a date is not set yet," Babar said. "Whether it would be this week or next week, I'm really not in a position to say."

Babar said Bhutto still planned to visit Rawalpindi, near the capital, Islamabad, on Nov. 9. The aides said she would fly there directly after her visit to Dubai.

Bhutto has kept details of her movements shrouded in secrecy since the attack, making unannounced visits to greet supporters and visit those injured in the blasts. She has left the southern city of Karachi just once to visit her ancestral home in southern Pakistan.