Musharraf's uniform hinders Benazir deal

Islamabad: President General Pervez Musharraf must quit his military post if he is to continue as Pakistan's ruler, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto said yesterday, after officials confirmed the two held secret talks on a possible power-sharing pact.

Bhutto, the exiled leader of Pakistan's largest opposition party, also said she was interested in returning to the country and becoming its premier for a third time if the opportunity presented itself.

In several interviews yesterday, Bhutto would not confirm or deny she held talks with Musharraf in a meeting that officials said took place on Friday in the UAE. Musharraf, who returned overnight from a two-day visit to the UAE and Saudi Arabia, was also silent on the issue.

But Bhutto said her Pakistan People's Party had long been in talks with the government about restoring civilian rule.

"We have already said that our negotiations are going on and we have achieved forward movement on some matters," Bhutto told Pakistan's Geo television. "But there are some matters on which there are two opinions and we have to look further into these issues."

Sticking point

Musharraf, who seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999, and Bhutto are widely reported to be working on an alliance designed to bolster the increasingly embattled president's political strength while allowing the opposition leader to return home and become prime minister for the third time.

A key sticking point has been Musharraf's reluctance to resign from the army to meet opposition demands for a return to civilian rule. "We do not accept President Musharraf in uniform," Bhutto told KTN television. "Our stand is that, and I stick to my stand."

Parliamentary affairs minister Dr Sher Afgan Niazi yesterday confirmed that Musharraf retaining the uniform was the "sticking point" in the meeting he held with Bhutto.

Dr Niazi also said if an agreement matured, the government would have to amend the law that puts a bar on assuming the office of the prime minister more than twice.

Bhutto told Sky News in Britain she was interested in becoming prime minister again. "If the people of Pakistan vote for me, certainly I would like to take on that job," she said.