KARACHI, 28 August — Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto quashed reports yesterday that she or her Pakistan People’s Party had struck a deal with the military for regaining power.
She said that in future she would be too happy to nominate someone else from her party for the prime minister’s slot if her party is propelled to power in future.
In her interview with an Indian magazine, Benazir made it clear that she would not aspire for power any more, and would ask someone else to lead the party in the parliament.
She would confine herself to guiding the party from home, where she could look after her children, who she thought had been denied the kind of affection they needed from a mother.
Fahim, a former federal minister, and a trusted Benazir aide who had a meeting with President Musharraf said that Gen. Musharraf made it clear to him that Benazir would not be allowed to contest elections.
The party was free to do that. Probably this latest stance of the military has forced Benazir to sideline herself from politics.
Fahim said he made it clear to the president that to ensure that elections are transparent and fair an independent and neutral election commission should be set up.
The chief of the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy, Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan and Benazir scotched rumors that Fahim would quit the PPP following his meeting with Gen. Musharraf. They both issued clarifications to emphasize that Fahim, number two in the PPP hierarchy, had met Musharraf with the prior knowledge of the People’s Party and the ARD leadership.
Fahim has summoned a central committee meeting of the PPP in Islamabad on Aug. 31 where he will brief the party members on his meeting with President Musharraf.
