ISLAMABAD, 9 January 2008 — Former Prime Minister and head of Pakistan Muslim League (N) Nawaz Sharif said yesterday that he would have talks with President Pervez Musharraf only if he announces the formation of a national unity government that will supervise the forthcoming general election.
Addressing a news conference in Lahore, he branded the present caretaker government as an extension of the Pakistan Muslim League (Q) party and alleged that it had planned large-scale rigging of the election. “During the tenure of this caretaker government a national leader like Benazir Bhutto was assassinated. How can I trust such a government,” he asked.
He said the government had given contradictory versions of Benazir’s murder, “which in fact took place in a very planned manner.” Sharif said the day Benazir was assassinated, “an attempt was made on my life and I had to suspend my election campaign. How can we believe that the leadership of PML (Q) is sincere in holding free, fair and transparent general elections?”
He charged that district administrations in Punjab and Sindh were either busy arresting activists of his party and Benazir’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) or deploying such polling officials as would tamper with election results.
