Is Benazir Bhutto Under House Arrest in Pakistan?

There are conflicting reports online, but it appears that Benazir Bhutto has now been detained by government forces in Islamabad.

CNN is reporting that the Pakistani opposition leader is under house arrest in Islamabad:

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Dozens of security forces surrounded opposition leader and former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's house Friday and cordoned off nearby streets, hours before a massive rally organized by her Pakistan People's Party against the state of emergency was due to start, sources close to Bhutto told CNN.

..The sources said police have not served Bhutto an official house arrest notice, but according to local media reports she has been denied visitors and cannot leave her home.

As first noted by TPM, the Associated Press is also reporting that Ms. Bhutto has been placed under house arrest:

Pakistani police backed by armored vehicles detained opposition leader Benazir Bhutto at her Islamabad residence Friday and reportedly rounded up 5,000 of her supporters to block a planned mass protest against emergency rule, officials said.

Authorities were adamant the rally Bhutto planned in nearby Rawalpindi would not go ahead - under the government's emergency powers President Gen. Pervez Musharraf declared last weekend, mass gatherings are banned. Mayor Javed Akhlas also said there was a "credible report" of six or seven suicide bombers in the city.

"We condemn this government move. It shows that the government is scared of Benazir Bhutto's popularity and it does not want her to be among masses," said Sen. Babar Awan, Bhutto's lawyer.

New York Times also corroborates these reports.

Reuters, however, reports this development differently. It writes that while the Bhutto house has indeed been cordoned off and surrounded by police, this move has occurred solely for her protection and her movement is not restricted:

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistani police cordoned off the home of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto on Friday and sealed off a park in Rawalpindi where she was due to hold her first rally since President Pervez Musharraf imposed emergency rule.
A senior official in Islamabad said police had cordoned off Bhutto's home in the city but only for her protection.

"It has been done purely for security reasons. There are no restrictions on her movement," said the official, who declined to be identified.

A suicide bomb attack on a procession in Karachi to welcome Bhutto home on October 18 killed 139 people.

A Bhutto party spokeswoman, Sherry Rehman, said Bhutto was not under house arrest but police had surrounded her home.

Contrary to Reuters, Pakistan Policy Blog provides additional on-the-ground perspective, and confirms the house arrest reports:

Pakistan’s GEO Television reports that People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson Benazir Bhutto has been put under house arrest by the government of Pakistan. Her party planned a rally in Rawalpindi today, the military’s administrative center and neighboring city to the capital, Islamabad.

Hamid Mir of GEO states that the decision was made by the Musharraf’s camp after relations between the PPP and the Muttahida Majlis-e Amal (MMA) — the coalition of Islamist parties — warmed this week after years of frostiness. The MMA, and in particular the JUI-F, is one of the wild cards that will determine how big the street protests will become. Mir also added that Maulana Fazlur Rahman (JUI-F) could be placed under house arrest soon as well.

It should also be noted that Bhutto today called for the restoration of the pre-emergency rule Supreme Court. She had not mentioned this earlier in the week, and indeed stated that the allegations made against several of the justices should be looked into.

This is clearly a very unstable situation. With this development, it appears to be intensifying and heading dangerously toward a showdown.

UPDATE: November 9, 2007 - MSNBC now reports that the house arrest order against Benazir Bhutto, initially denied, has been lifted:

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was freed from house arrest late on Friday shortly after being stopped from leaving her home in Islamabad to lead a rally against President Pervez Musharraf's imposition of emergency rule earlier in the day.

"The detention order has been withdrawn," said Aamir Ali Ahmed, acting deputy commissioner of Islamabad.

The Bush administration had earlier urged Musharraf to end the house arrest.

- Garry J. Wise, Toronto

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