House Arrest For Bhutto Is Lifted
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

LAHORE, Pakistan — Police said they lifted the house arrest of an opposition leader, Benazir Bhutto, on Friday, hours before the arrival of an American envoy who was expected to urge the country’s military leader to end emergency rule. The move came after Ms. Bhutto — while still confined to a house in Lahore — urged fellow opposition leaders to join her in an alliance that could govern until elections. Despite Ms. Bhutto’s call, President Musharraf has given no sign he will hand over power. He has named his own interim prime minister and was expected to announce Friday a caretaker Cabinet to oversee parliamentary elections promised by January 9.
“The government has withdrawn the detention order,” Zahid Abbas, a police official, told an Associated Press reporter near the barricaded house where Ms. Bhutto has been confined for three days.
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