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LAHORE, Pakistan-Pakistan freed opposition leader Benazir Bhutto from house arrest early on Friday, hours after a caretaker prime minister was appointed in a first step towards a national election.Jail officials left the residence in the eastern city of Lahore where Bhutto has been held to prevent her from leading a pro-democracy rally against President Pervez Musharraf's emergency rule.But dozens of police with batons and riot vests remained manning blockades on the road outside."The government has withdrawn Bhutto's detention order, and from now, she is free to move wherever she likes," Aftab Cheema, police chief of the eastern city of Lahore, told Reuters."Police will remain (outside) for her security, but there will be no restriction on her movement."The United States had hoped Musharraf and Bhutto would end up sharing power after an election but they have rounded on each other. Musharraf has pledged to hold the election by January 9.Bhutto's release comes ahead of a planned visit by U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte who will push General Musharraf to end the emergency rule he imposed a fortnight ago in an apparent bid to hold on to the presidency, and to free thousands of detained opposition figures."If it is true, then that is positive. Not only does she need to have her house arrest lifted but so do others who are important participants in Pakistan's political future," said U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack."Other steps need to be taken too, including the lifting of the state of emergency," McCormack said.Negroponte last week warned against cutting aid to an "indispensable" ally in the war against al Qaeda and the Taliban."The political process in Pakistan has been derailed. Our message is that we want to work with the government and people of Pakistan and the political actors in Pakistan to put the political process back on track as soon as possible," Negroponte said overnight in Africa.To read more go to:
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