ISLAMABAD, 19 August 2007 — The United States wants to see Pakistan’s moderate and democratic politicians unite to fight extremism, but has no interest in picking sides ahead of upcoming elections, a top US envoy said.
US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher, speaking at a news conference during a visit to the Pakistani capital, would not comment on the possibility of a power sharing deal between President Pervez Musharraf and exiled former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
Deals between other nations’ political leaders were “their own choices to make based on their own calculations,” he said, one day after holding talks with Musharraf and other top government officials.
But a Pakistan official said Friday US officials were going a step further and were actively encouraging Musharraf to give moderate, secular parties more power if he wins another presidential term.
Deputy Information Minister Tariq Azeem on Friday refused to speculate on a deal between Musharraf and Benazir, saying any new alliances would be decided after upcoming elections. “It is not the State Department, but the people of Pakistan would elect their new leadership and only the election results would determine who is to share power with whom,” Azeem said.
Musharraf met Benazir, whose party is one of the country’s largest opposition groups, for secret talks in the United Arab Emirates last month. Both leaders have refused to publicly acknowledge the direct talks, which were widely reported to be negotiations on a power-sharing deal.
Benazir wants to return to Pakistan to stand in elections due by early next year, and her Pakistan People’s Party is one of at least two moderate opposition groups expected to do well. Musharraf is allied to the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Q, which is sharing his political woes.
The talks come amid rising US pressure on Musharraf to do more to fight militants in the tribal regions bordering Afghanistan, where Washington believes Al-Qaeda and Taleban are regrouping. He also faces growing calls to quit his army post and restore full democracy in Pakistan.
Analysts say Washington would welcome a deal between Musharraf and Benazir because it would keep Musharraf — a proven US ally against terrorism — in a position of power while also bringing a moderate, secular leader into a more democratic government.
Boucher, on a two-day visit, held a series of meetings Wednesday with Musharraf and other government officials as well as opposition representatives.
He told reporters Thursday that he had urged the major political parties to “strengthen the moderate center of Pakistan politics” to sideline those that do not want to modernize and develop the nation. “The more that those tendencies can be brought forward and joined, the more solid base there is to deal with the serious problem of extremism,” he said.
