(Reuters) - Pakistanis waited in suspense on Thursday for former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto to return from self-imposed exile, under threat of assassination from militants linked to al Qaeda.
For years Bhutto had promised to return to end the military dictatorship, yet she was coming back as a potential ally of President Pervez Musharraf , the army chief who seized power in a coup in 1999.
Her homecoming in Karachi, arguably Pakistan's most violent city, was likely to be a security nightmare.
Intelligence reports suggested at least three jihadi groups linked to al Qaeda and the Taliban were plotting suicide attacks, according to a provincial official.
"At this moment, I'm not thinking about death," Bhutto said on Geo Television in an interview late on Wednesday.
"I'm going back for the people of Pakistan and it is my faith that everything will be all right."
She added that she did not believe a genuine Muslim would attack a woman.
Bhutto's flight from Dubai was expected to arrive at 1 p.m. (0800 GMT), but it could take hours for her to travel through packed streets for a rally near the tomb of Pakistan's founder, Mohammad Ali Jinnah .