Saturday, January 1 2005 19:49 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Dubai: Asif Ali Zardari, husband of former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who arrived in Dubai to an emotional family reunion after eight years in prison, has said nothing would stop him from returning to his home country, and vowed to fight the regime of President Pervez Musharraf.

"That is not even a remote possibility, nobody can stop me from returning. I don't get stopped so easily," said Zardari (51). "I'm a fighter, I will stay and fight."

"This is a struggle against military dictatorship. By serving an 11-year jail term, eight now and three years before that, I've proved that a civilian like me has the strength to stand up to the military," he was quoted as saying by the 'Gulf News' daily today (Jan 1, 2005).

He also denied rumours of any deal with the regime. "I didn't break. Neither did my wife, who was in jail during the Zia years for five years. Nor did my father-in-law who paid for it with his life. She didn't do a deal for herself, neither did Shaheed (Zulfikar Ali) Bhutto. How can I even think of it? It's a hard act to follow."

He said the next challenge was to see that Pakistan returns to true democracy, not the sham that President Musharraf is foisting on the people.

Asked if he was prepared for a return to jail if cases are re-opened against him, Zardari said, "In Third World countries like ours, it's a risk you must be willing to take. As for me, jail does not frighten me."

The former senator and Cabinet Minister, arrested in 1996, was freed on bail after eight years in custody, but was rearrested for a day in December, when bail was withdrawn in one of several cases pending against him.

Later, he was given a passport to travel after being removed from the Government's exit control list.