LOS ANGELES, April 20: Pakistan’s former premier Benazir Bhutto, who went into exile after she was dismissed during her second term in 1996 amid corruption allegations, said she plans to return later this year to Pakistan.

The military leadership is neither providing for citizens nor stopping terrorism because fighters on the ground have worked with militants who sympathize with Osama bin Laden and other members of the Al Qaeda network, Ms Bhutto told students of Texas Christian University at Fort Worth, Texas, on Friday. “This is about Pakistan’s future, and I think democracy is the best weapon to fight extremism and terrorism,” Ms Bhutto said on Thursday. “I’m concerned that my life should be safe. ... I do have powerful enemies, and I accept that.”