LARKANA, Sept 5: The carpet smells, the air-conditioning has collapsed and the pool has been dry for years. Government spies skulk in the lobby, snooping on the trickle of guests.

The Sambara Inn, Larkana’s top hotel, has seen better days. But like this dusty town’s most famous daughter, the hotel is praying for a return to glory.

“We can’t wait for Benazir to get back,” said the assistant manager, standing in one of the blast-hot corridors. “Everything will change around here.”

Hopes that Benazir Bhutto will soon return from exile has sent a crackle of excitement through Larkana.

The Bhuttos are Pakistan’s premier political dynasty, enthralled by power, cloaked in controversy and dogged by unsolved murders.

The family name evokes strong emotions, from love to hate, across Pakistan. But in Larkana, it is pure gold.

Ghulam Nabi, an elderly cleaner, wore a photo of Ms Bhutto around his neck. “The Bhuttos help the poor,” he said. “When they are out of power, there is nobody to help us. Allah help us, she will return.”

One reason for the adoration is patronage, the driving force behind much of Pakistani politics. During Ms Bhutto’s two terms in office, Larkana thrived.

Schools and courthouses were built, religious shrines renovated and jobs created. When she was ejected, the gravy train slid to a halt.

“Whenever she is in power, she provides jobs and facilities. The grocery shop owners, the rickshaw and bus drivers - they all make money,” said Khursheed Junejo, a senior official of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

“But now you can see the deserted look of the roads and streets. Musharraf is neglecting us.”

Reminders of the epic tragedy that is the Bhutto family’s history are dotted around Larkana.

In the town centre is Al-Murtaza, the ancestral home where Benazir Bhutto was imprisoned by the military in 1979 as her political ambitions stirred.

Further out, a giant Taj Mahal-style mausoleum honours her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Sweeping staircases lead into the mausoleum, where workmen are laying marble slabs.

Inside, visitors remove their shoes before approaching a flower-covered marble tomb. A 130ft onion-shaped dome rises overhead.

“Naturally, Bhutto sahib is our greatest leader,” said Aziz Abro, a party official who has published a hagiography on Mr Bhutto with chapter titles such as “A gift of God”.

But critics say Mr Bhutto was also a ruthless leader who cemented his rule with illegal detentions and torture. His children have also been dogged by conflict, some between themselves.

One of Mr Bhutto’s sons, Shahnawaz, was poisoned in still unexplained circumstances at the family holiday home in Cannes, France, in 1985. Ms Bhutto’s other brother, Mir Murtaza, was shot dead on a Karachi street in 1996.

At the Bhutto family’s vast estate outside Larkana, servants are sprucing up Ms Bhutto’s 14-bedroom mansion.

Mohammad Hassan, a loyal employee, will be waiting. “She has taken up the legacy of her father,” he said.

“We are praying in the mosques for her return.”—Dawn-Guardian News Service