Former Pakistan premiers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif have agreed to join forces to oust President Pervez Musharraf from office, a top party official said yesterday. If the deal is pushed through it would unite two of the country's biggest opposition parties against the military ruler, whose imposition of emergency rule has triggered a national crisis. The two leaders, who have been rivals during the past, agreed to bury their differences to launch a "joint struggle" against Musharraf, said Raja Zafar-ul Haq, chairman of Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N party. The two spoke Wednesday by telephone, officials from both parties said. "She has assured she will continue the struggle against General Musharraf until he resigns from both offices," Haq told AFP. "He is not acceptable, neither as president nor as army chief."
Benazir's party confirmed the pair spoke but said she would give details of their conversation later in the day.