PPP Chairwoman Benazir Bhutto indicated on Saturday her willingness to be in the same government as President Gen Pervez Musharraf, as long as their respective powers were balanced. In an interview with CNN recorded in New York, asked if in the “right circumstances” she could work with President Musharraf in the same government, Ms Bhutto replied, “Well, if the people of Pakistan give me a mandate, yes, but there would need to be a balance between the powers of the presidency and the powers of the parliament.”She refused to confirm her meeting with Gen Musharraf but said there have been contacts between her and the government at various levels, including her own. She confirmed that she has met “people” in the government.
She said there remain many issues to be discussed, including whether Pakistan moves along a democratic track and whether there are free and fair elections open to all parties. “The time is running out and I hope we can make the deadline,” she added.
She said it would be unrealistic for Gen Musharraf to remain both president and army chief. It is very important for Gen Musharraf to take off his uniform. She was sure that given the present mood of the higher judiciary, Gen Musharraf’s bid to hold both offices would be challenged legally, which in turn would embroil Pakistan in another crisis. Asked for her views about the US moving militarily against Pakistan on receipt of “actionable intelligence,” she replied that it would undermine Pakistan’s sovereignty. However, she added, the US and Pakistan should work closer together in the “tribal badlands” against terrorists.
At a press conference in New York on Saturday, Ms Bhutto said that the PPP would not accept Gen Musharraf in uniform as president. “A uniformed president is simply unacceptable,” she said. Gen Musharraf’s re-election from the current assemblies would also open the doors for such options as assembly resignations, litigation and the fielding of an opposition candidate against him, she added.
Ms Bhutto reiterated her commitment to the Charter of Democracy, but argued that it does not forbid negotiations with a military government for its replacement by a democracy. About her return to Pakistan, she said a petition has been filed at the Lahore High Court praying that her freedom of movement in the country be guaranteed.