Pakistani police detained opposition leader Benazir Bhutto for seven days tonight, police and her party said, just hours before she was due to lead a mass protest against President Pervez Musharraf's emergency rule.
"We have sent the (detention) notice inside and we have not yet got a reply," Lahore Police Chief Aftab Cheema said at barriers blocking access to the house where Ms Bhutto is staying.
A party official confirmed the detention order had been served.
The detention comes hours before Ms Bhutto was due to begin a three or four day motorcade protest from Lahore to Islamabad to demand Gen Musharraf end emergency rule he imposed on November 3 rdand free thousands of thousands of lawyers and political opponents who have been detained.
A government spokesman earlier warned Ms Bhutto any such protest would be illegal. Police also warned her she could face a suicide assassination bid. Such an attack at a rally last month to welcome her back from eight years in exile killed 139 people.
A defiant Ms Bhutto insisted she would not be dissuaded from holding the protest.
"I don't want to take a dangerous path, but I ask myself, what is the alternative and how can we save our country?" Ms Bhutto said. "We appeal to all people, including from other parties and minorities, women and children, to take part in this long march."
Gen Musharraf has justified the state of emergency by saying the judiciary was hampering the battle against militants and interfering with governance. However diplomats say his main objective was to stop the Supreme Court from ruling his October 6th re-election invalid.
Gen Musharraf said yesterday a general election would be held by January 9th but declined to say when the emergency would be lifted and the constitution restored.
Agencies