Court Threatens Bhutto Return

The power-sharing arrangement aimed at stabilizing Pakistan's shaky government has hit yet another snag, the BBC reports. Pakistan's Supreme Court, which has already held up certifying President Pervez Musharraf's re-election win until it rules on challenges, now says it must rule on whether the amnesty  granted to Benazir Bhutto on old corruption charges as part of the deal is constitutional.

Iftikhar Chaudhry, the chief justice whom Musharraf tried to disbar in March, told AFP that if his court found the power-sharing deal to be beyond the limits of the constitution then he would have no hesitation to scupper it. Bhutto is expected to arrive in Karachi on Thursday after eight years in exile; the court is expected to rule on the legality of Musharraf's re-election Wednesday, but the Bhutto amnesty could take weeks. (More Pakistan stories.)