The United States has urged President Pervez Musharraf to explore some kind of political arrangement with opposition politicians, a US official said on Thursday. "There are elections coming up in Pakistan and there is a moderate centre in Pakistani politics and that moderate centre has an interest in seeing the political and social reforms that Musharraf put in place continue," said the official, asking not to be named.
| Perv will do whatever benefits Perv and his military backers. I had some trepidation during the CJP dustup, but while he's a lousy general he's a damned good politician in a treacherous, labyrinthine environment. |
The official was commenting on a New York Times report that the Bush administration is quietly encouraging Musharraf to share power with former premier Benazir Bhutto, citing US and Pakistani officials. The US official declined to say whether the Bush administration was encouraging a Benazir-Musharraf deal but made clear that it wanted to see "moderate" forces in Pakistan strengthened. Asked if the US risked appearing to prop up a military ruler regarded as a vital ally by the Bush administration, the official said any deal was up to the Pakistanis to work out. "We can encourage parties to look at where there are overlapping interests." |