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Pakistani police stop Bhutto from leaving her home

Police blocked former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto from leaving her home yesterday as she pleaded to be released from house arrest to lead a rally against President Pervez Musharraf.

Bhutto begged the officers stationed around her compound to let her get to the planned demonstration in Rawalpindi against Musharraf's nationwide state of emergency, but police served her with a house arrest order instead.

"I am your sister fighting for democracy," she told police through a megaphone as she tried to get through a wall of barbed wire.

Speaking with reporters by tele-phone from inside her bulletproof car, she said: "I am not afraid of these tactics. My struggle is for the people of Pakistan, for their rights and for an end to dictatorship."

Police later allowed her car through one cordon but it was then blocked by armored personnel carriers.

The stand-off raised the stakes in the crisis that has engulfed the nuclear-armed country, leaving Musharraf facing the most serious challenge to his rule since he seized power in a coup eight years ago.

Tensions rose further when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the house of a government minister in Peshawar, killing four people.

Minister for Political Affairs Amir Muqam told state TV that he was unharmed in the suicide attack on his home.

Bhutto had intended to lead a demonstration against Musharraf's imposition of a state of emergency last Saturday -- a move which earned him international criticism.

Police confirmed that Bhutto had been served with a house arrest order as soon as she tried to leave her residence.

"Because of the serious security threat the government has served her with a restraint order," Islamabad police chief Shahid Nadeem Baluch said.

Sources said it was formally for 30 days, but would likely be dropped later yesterday.

Around 100 workers from Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) were arrested outside her home.

Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid, a close Musharraf ally, said: "She is restrained from leaving her house. The decision was conveyed to her because of the very serious and credible security threat of an attack on her."

A senior PPP leader, Senator Anwar Baig, said outside the compound: "This is illegal confinement. This is illegal detention of a democratic leader."

Police also teargassed workers from Bhutto's party in Rawalpindi, Peshawar and the northwestern town of Swabi, officials said.

The government deployed 6,000 police officers to stop the protest in Rawalpindi, completely cordoning off a park where it was due to be held with barbed wire and concrete blocks.

The BBC and CNN went off air again yesterday after reporting that Bhutto was under house arrest. It was less than a day after they had reappeared on screens.

Local cable news channels remained blacked out.

In Taipei, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a red alert for Pakistan yesterday. The ministry advised Taiwanese not to travel to Pakistan.

Additional reporting by Flora Wang
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