Under growing pressure to restore democracy, President Gen. Pervez Musharraf appears to be trying to reach a deal with the exiled former premier who heads Pakistan's largest political party.The latest indication of Musharraf's softening stance toward former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto came Thursday, with the announcement that a veteran anti-corruption investigator who pursued cases against Bhutto was being transferred to a job in provincial administration. It was not clear whether the move could quell Bhutto's legal troubles or was purely symbolic. Still, it fanned speculation that a weakened Musharraf, a key ally in the U.S. war on terror, may sanction her return if it helps him hang on to power.
Bhutto, leader of the Pakistan People's Party, is agitating for Musharraf to close the cases against her so that she can return in time to campaign in parliamentary elections due around the end of the year. The general is under growing international pressure to make Pakistan's government more democratic, eight years after he seized power in a bloodless coup.