Pakistani Troops, Militants Clash; Dozens Are Killed

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistani forces fought pitched battles with insurgents Thursday in the scenic northwestern Swat Valley, leaving dozens dead. The violence came on a day when the Supreme Court indicated that President Pervez Musharraf's election to a new term will remain in legal limbo for at least two more weeks.

Pakistan has been grappling in recent months with a growing Islamic insurgency and an uneasy transition toward democracy after eight years of military rule under Musharraf. The surging violence and the uncertainty surrounding Musharraf's future have revived speculation that he will declare a state of emergency, allowing him to postpone parliamentary elections planned for early 2008.

After a tense truce earlier in the week, fighting picked up Wednesday night and continued Thursday, with the government claiming that as many as 70 insurgents had been killed. There were no immediate reports of deaths on the government's side, although an insurgent spokesman claimed his group had taken about 40 troops hostage.

Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who had just returned from eight years of exile at the time of the strike, on Thursday flew to the United Arab Emirates.

Her spokesman, Farahtullah Babar, said she had left Pakistan to see her family and to take advantage of "a window of opportunity" that will close this month when election campaigning begins in earnest. Babar said Bhutto would return to Pakistan in time for a rally in the garrison city of Rawalpindi on Nov. 9.

The move was somewhat unexpected, especially after her announcement Wednesday night that she would postpone a trip to Dubai because of rumors Musharraf would impose emergency rule in Pakistan.

Those rumors persisted Thursday and seemed to gain momentum after the Supreme Court indicated it will delay until mid-November a decision on whether Musharraf is eligible for a new term. Musharraf, who came to power in a 1999 military coup, won a five-year term in an election last month. The Supreme Court, however, has not yet ruled on whether he should have been allowed to run. Opponents say his job as army chief should disqualify him.