Bhutto and Musharraf edge towards power-sharing deal after secret talks
Monday, 30 July 2007
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Confronting growing political problems, Pakistan's military leader, General Pervez Musharraf, has held secret talks with his rival Benazir Bhutto in the Middle East to discuss a power-sharing arrangement that could extend his presidency.
Officials said yesterday that Mr Musharraf and Mrs Bhutto, the country's former prime minster, met in Abu Dhabi on Friday.
Mrs Bhutto herself acknowledged the talks had taken place, but sought to publicly throw down a gauntlet to Mr Musharraf, saying he must stand down as head of the country's military if a power-sharing arrangement was to go ahead.
Confirming the talks, Pakistan's minister for railways, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, said that Mr Musharraf and Mrs Bhutto "held a successful meeting", but he would not elaborate on the subject of the discussion.
Mrs Bhutto said negotiations were continuing between the government and her Pakistan People's Party (PPP), but said there were several sticking points.
"We do not accept President Musharraf in uniform. Our stand is that, and I stick to my stand," she told KTN television.
In an interview with Sky News, Mrs Bhutto also said she would be willing to stand for the Pakistani premiership again. "If the people of Pakistan vote for me then certainly I would consider it. But this is more than a struggle for me, it's a struggle for the heart and soul of Pakistan."
Mr Musharraf is under intense political pressure ahead of elections scheduled to take place later this year, and a deal with the PPP has been one option he has been exploring to extend his presidency, first seized by means of a coup in 1999. "We have already said that our negotiations are going on and we have achieved forward movement on some matters," added Mrs Bhutto.
Quite how such an arrangement would work, and the implications for a supposed return to democracy if two such powerful politicians were making deals with no mandate, are unclear. Mr Musharraf has been pushing to have the country's national and regional assemblies vote on whether to extend his presidency while they are still dominated by politicians supportive of him.
His political opponents say elections should first be held for the assemblies themselves, before voting on Mr Musharraf's future.
If a pact were to proceed, it would require Mr Musharraf to rescind a constitutional change he made that banned anyone serving as prime minister for more than two terms.
Lifting the amendment - widely seen as a measure to undermine Mrs Bhutto and another former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif - would open the way for her to return as the country's premier in an anti-fundamentalist alliance with Mr Musharraf.
The Oxford-educated Mrs Bhutto, who has twice served as prime minister, only for both terms to be ended amid corruption scandals, currently divides her time between Dubai and the UK, but has vowed to return to Pakistan to contest the election.
In exchange for this, the PPP might agree to support a presidential vote before the parliamentary elections with Mr Musharraf still in uniform, if he gave assurances he would resign from the military soon after the legislative elections.
One potential obstacle to such a deal is the country's chief justice, Iftikhar Chaudhry, who was ousted by Mr Musharraf but reinstated following a decision by the Supreme Court. Mr Chaudhry has so far expressed no political ambitions but his campaign against his ousting drew support from all levels of Pakistani society.
But of greatest concern to Mr Musharraf - as it has always has been - is whether he retains the support of the country's military. There have already been rumblings that many of the senior commanders are not supportive of him.
Were he to remove himself as head of the armed forces, it is unclear whether that would further erode his support.
Mr Musharraf's other key priority has been keeping Washington's support. Despite widespread grumbling in the US about what Washington sees as Mr Musharraf's failure to confront extremists operating in Pakistan, the government of George Bush - which has provided millions of dollars to Pakistan in the aftermath of 9/11 - believes there is no viable alternative.
