ISLAMABAD, 8 November 2007 — Former Pakistani Premier Benazir Bhutto’s call for mass unrest against President Pervez Musharraf’s emergency rule has not dissuaded analysts and rivals from suspicions that she is still angling for a power-sharing deal.
Reports that the United States and Britain backed her earlier negotiations with Musharraf, their key ally in the “war on terror,” have fuelled suspicions that Benazir’s fiery rhetoric masks a double game.
“She means to bring pressure on Musharraf to clinch an arrangement with him which will enable her to go into the election with clean hand,” said analyst Najam Sethi, editor of the Daily Times newspaper.
“She has to pretend it is pressure that has forced Musharraf and she has not cut a deal with him.” Benazir’s Pakistan People’s Party insisted yesterday the talks were on ice. “Negotiations with Gen. Musharraf have broken down,” her spokesman, Farhatullah Babar, told AFP.
“They are unlikely to be resumed without upfront restoration of the constitution, upfront shedding of the uniform, and an upfront announcement of the holding of free and fair elections.” Benazir ended eight years of self-exile on Oct. 18 after the embattled general dropped corruption charges against her in what was widely seen as a prelude to a deal ahead of a parliamentary poll in January.
“There is no break — the contacts between the two sides are active and we hope for a positive outcome,” a senior government aide familiar with the talks told AFP. “President Musharraf is very much inclined to take her on board to keep the reconciliation strategy going.”
“There is a very strong possibility of all parties meeting together to evolve a joint strategy against dictatorship, but Benazir must cut all contacts with Musharraf,” said Raja Zafarul Haq, a leader of Nawaz Sharif’s party. “It is up to the Pakistan People’s Party if they want to join hands with all other opposition parties,” he told AFP.
Sale of Satellite Dish Banned
Authorities have stopped sales of satellite dishes in two Pakistani cities to block access to private news channels, salesmen said yesterday.
Police went to various electronic markets in at least two cities — Rawalpindi, next to Islamabad, and Karachi — and asked shop owners to close, according to traders and witnesses. “We were not shown any orders, but simply told to close,” said Muhammad Imran, who works in a shop in Imperial Market in a congested Rawalpindi neighborhood. Rawalpindi’s city police chief, Saud Aziz, denied any orders have been issued for shops to close or stop the sale of satellite equipment.
