ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN — To the cheers of supporters who set off celebratory firecrackers and flung pink flower petals, the party of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto announced Friday that she planned to return to her homeland Oct. 18.
But it was not yet known whether Bhutto, who has been in self-imposed exile in London and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for nearly nine years, would return as nominal ally or nettlesome rival of President Pervez Musharraf -- and whether she might face jail on still-pending corruption charges.
Bhutto, 54, has been in power-sharing talks for months with the beleaguered Musharraf. Both sides said at various points that the deal was nearly sealed, but an accord has proved elusive.
The former prime minister's prospective homecoming is the latest wild card in a Pakistani political scene that has seen more turmoil with each passing day.
It represents a major gamble on the part of Bhutto, a charismatic, controversial leader whose Pakistan People's Party is expected to perform strongly in parliamentary elections to be held within four months.
The Bush administration hopes that a deal between Bhutto and Musharraf, an army general who seized power in a bloodless coup eight years ago, will pave the way for a smooth transition toward democratic rule. Without it, any number of chaotic scenarios could unfold -- including Musharraf declaring emergency rule or, more drastically, martial law.
Either step would give Musharraf, who is both head of state and chief of the military, sweeping powers to curtail civil liberties, and would almost certainly lead to the postponement or cancellation of the elections.
The announcement of Bhutto's impending return came four days after the government deported another long-exiled rival of the president, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, whom Musharraf overthrew in 1999.
Sharif attempted to return home after Pakistan's Supreme Court ruled that he could do so. But he was on the ground for less than four hours before being hustled onto a plane and flown to Saudi Arabia, where he had spent most of his exile under an agreement between Saudi officials and the Pakistani government.
Officials with Bhutto's party say she will return home regardless of whether she strikes a power-sharing deal with Musharraf.
The government said Bhutto was free to come back, but that the charges against her remain active.
