Bomb rigged to child, Bhutto says

WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- Benazir Bhutto said an explosion that marked her October homecoming in Pakistan came from a bomb rigged to a small child presented to her for an embrace.

Bhutto told The Washington Times she thought the child "was about 1 or 2 years old and I think it was a girl." She said a man attempted to hand the baby across the crowd to her motorcade as it progressed through the streets of Karachi.

Bhutto said the bomb detonated "only feet from me" and she escaped injury when she withdrew from the crowd to remove the shoes from her swollen feet.

She told the Times she filed requests with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to investigate the series of bombings that marked her return to Pakistan but was met with opposition.

Bhutto also addressed criticisms of the Pakistani political system, which mandates a high-price tag to join the ticket of high-profile candidates.

Bhutto sidestepped the corruption allegations, instead comparing her political campaign to that of Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., in the U.S. presidential elections.

"People want to belong to a party that will get them votes; it is a simple matter of electability," Bhutto said in the Times' article.