At a news conference immediately after her arrival in Karachi, Bhutto called the state of emergency "mini-martial law," The Pakistan Times reported.

Bhutto had been in Dubai for a brief visit with her family. She returned from exile two weeks ago, a homecoming marked by the deadly bombing of her motorcade.

"Gen. Musharraf has suspended the constitution of Pakistan, so it's really a declaration of martial law," Bhutto told NBC News in an interview. "But he's calling it an emergency. An emergency sounds more palatable to international opinion."

Bhutto said she agrees with Musharraf that political extremism is on the rise in Pakistan. But she said suspending the constitution is not the solution because "dictatorship fuels extremism."

Critics say Musharraf declared the emergency out of fear that Pakistan's highest court would declare his recent re-election as president unconstitutional.