Pervez Musharraf Defies Arrest Warning

Former president Pervez Musharraf will be arrested upon his arrival in Pakistan, authorities have warned.

Pakistani officials have warned Musharraf that he will be arrested in connection with the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

Special prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali said that an arrest warrant had been issued for Musharraf, who is accused of conspiring in the December 2007 murder.

"Musharraf is a 'proclaimed offender' or a fugitive who will be arrested on his arrival in the country," Ali said. The arrest would be carried out unless a higher court sets it aside.

The former military ruler is also accused of failing to co-operate with the inquiry into Bhutto's death.

Musharraf, who is living in Dubai, said he would return to his home country later this month to lead his All Pakistan Muslim League party in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

"I am coming, Pakistan," he told told thousands of supporters in Karachi via video link. "Attempts have been made to scare me, but I am not afraid of anything."

His lawyer, Chaudry Faisal, said the threat of arrest was politically motivated and that the ruling was being challenged in court.

The former president stirred up controversy by calling for better co-operation between Israel and Pakistan, when the current government openly supports calls for an independent Palestine.

"There is nothing to lose by trying to get on Israel's good side," Musharraf said in an interview with the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

"Pakistan also needs to keep readjusting its diplomatic stand toward Israel based on the mere fact that it exists and is not going away."