Former premier Nawaz Sharif urged the West on Wednesday to abandon President General Pervez Musharraf. Talking to the Associated Press, Sharif said Pakistan was heading deeper into chaos and Musharraf had outlived his usefulness in fighting terrorism. He also ruled out teaming up with Benazir Bhutto unless she cut off talks with Musharraf.“One man is holding the entire nation hostage for his personal interests,” Sharif said, referring to the US-allied military leader who declared emergency rule over the weekend, and has since rounded up thousands of opposition activists and protesting attorneys.
Extremists benefit: “The political forces, the lawyers and civil community that believe in moderation and democracy, they are sidelined today. Who is going to get the benefit? It will be the radicals and extremists, they will thrive now,” Sharif said in a telephone interview from Saudi Arabia. “Mr Musharraf is a man who has outlived his utility in terms of fighting any battle against terror.” Sharif said thousands of his party members had been rounded up in the past four days. He urged the public to protest against Musharraf, and predicted that unless the state of emergency was reversed and Musharraf ousted, the country could be pitched toward “catastrophe”. “Even the ruling junta today does not know how to go get out of this situation they have got into,” he said.