London: The Central Executive Committee meeting of Pakistan Peoples Party held on Sunday decided that party Chairperson Benazir Bhutto will return Pakistan to contest the general elections in 2007.
Bhutto said she was facing mounting pressure from party leaders and added that she could not chalkout any deadline of her return but will contest upcoming general elections in the country.
She also claimed that President Pervez Musharraf had offered to quash all cases against her if she agreed not to contest elections, a condition she turned down.
"The government has offered to quash all cases against me if I agree not to contest elections and not take part in canvassing in the 2007," Bhutto said after a day-long meeting of Pakistan Peoples' Party central executive committee meet in London.
"My father, Z A Bhutto has sacrificed his life for the sake democracy in Pakistan and I have rejected the offer. I will be with the people whenever the general elections are held, either in 2007 or before that. I will also campaign and take part in the polls," she told Pakistan's Geo TV.
She also appealed to Musharraf to reconsider his statements that he will not permit her and deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif to return.
"He should review the statements to see whether they are in the interest of the country. He can have personal opinions and reservations about me and Sharif. But Pakistan was made for Muslims and we want empowerment of people," she said.
Sharif who is in exile in Jeddah has been granted passport to travel to London to be with his ailing son.
"Musharraf says extremism would end if the Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine issues are resolved. We say extremism would end with the empowerment of people of Pakistan. People are frustrated because they are deprived of power," she said.
In an interview to BBC on Sunday, Bhutto said the earthquake in Pakistan could have helped break the political stalemate with India over Kashmir and criticised the response of Musharraf's military regime to the October 8 disaster as too slow and claimed a civilian government would have been "more responsive" to people's needs.
"When the earthquake took place in a political faultline (Kashmir), the Indian government offered to help Pakistan but initially we refused the help," she said.
"Now, when people are dying, you don't really look at who's offering the help. You take it. The first issue should be to help the people."
Stating that the earthquake should have been a "healing moment" for Kashmir, she said of the developments on the border: "It was too little, too late".
"Not enough advantage was taken of the momentum for bringing people together that could have taken place," Bhutto currently in London presiding over her PPP's Executive Council said in the interview.
She also expressed the fear that if not enough was done, extremist groups could fill the vacuum.
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