Amid heavy security, former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto travelled Saturday to her ancestral village in her first venture outside Karachi since a devastating suicide attack killed 143 people during her homecoming parade.
Bhutto travelled to Larkana in southern Sindh province to pay her respects at her father's tomb, leaving the security of her fortified residence in Pakistan's largest city.
Thousands of supporters descended on her convoy as she arrived in the village of Garhi Khuda Baksh after a nearly 100-kilometre drive from the airport in the southern city of Sukkur, where she flew from Karachi.
"It's a long time since I've been here, and I thank God for giving me the opportunity to put my feet on my homeland once again, to see the love of my people. This has strengthened me to do what I can to save Pakistan by saving democracy,'' she told reporters on the airplane.
Heavily-armed guards formed a tight circle around the opposition leader as she pushed her way through throngs of supporters and journalists. Paramilitary troops then formed a barrier around the white-domed mausoleum, barring even police from entering the building, The Associated Press reported.
During her 45-minute visit, Bhutto read from the Koran and sprinkled flowers around the grave of her father, former prime minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. Her father was Pakistan's first elected prime minister. He was later overthrown in a military coup and hanged in 1979.
Amid the red, green and black flags of her Pakistan People's Party, Bhutto briefly addressed reporters.
"There is danger of attacks on me still, but I am not scared because Allah is the ultimate savior of my life. ... I have such a large number of loyal followers who are ready to risk their lives to protect me, so there is no need to be scared," she said.
Bhutto returned to Pakistan on Oct. 18 from an eight-year exile after Gen. Pervez Musharraf granted her amnesty from corruption charges. Musharraf's popularity has plummeted this year, and he is seeking to form an alliance with Bhutto to bolster his support with the masses.
Musharraf and Bhutto share a common mission of ousting al Qaeda and allied militants from the nuclear-armed country -- a goal quietly supported and aided by Western powers.
Since the bombing, Bhutto has spent most of her time behind the walls of her heavily-fortified Karachi home but vowed the assassination attempt would not deter her campaign.
Bhutto said Friday she would travel to the cities of Lahore and Islamabad and plans to visit Pakistan-controlled parts of Kashmir.
She also expressed interest in visiting the areas along the Afghan border known as sanctuaries for al Qaeda and Taliban militants. Bhutto has blamed both groups for the suicide attack this month, although neither group has claimed responsibility for the bombing.
The opposition leader's camp is suspicious that forces within the government opposed to her potential power-share deal with President Gen. Pervez Musharraf could have been involved in the attack. Bhutto maintains she will contest Pakistan's parliamentary elections scheduled for January.
Pakistan violence
All 11 men kidnapped on Friday when militants stormed a minibus have been executed, security officials confirmed on Saturday.
The kidnapping was in retaliation for an assault by security forces on the stronghold of a militant cleric in northwestern Pakistan.
A local resident told AP he saw six headless bodies in the town of Matta on Saturday. Four were discovered at the roadside and two were found at a local hospital.
Attached to one of the corpses was a note reading: "It is the fate of an American agent. Whoever works for America will face the same fate."
Police confirmed they retrieved the headless bodies of three paramilitary troops and one policeman from a village located approximately five kilometers away. The location of the 11th body has yet to be determined.
With files from The Associated Press
