Benazir: Deal for democracy, not for power

Dubai: Pakistan's former prime minister Benazir Bhutto said "the ball is in the president's court" after crucial talks on a deal were held with President Pervez Musharraf's aides here yesterday.

Describing the talks as a glass half full, she said "time was running out" while she pointed to the rising tide of Islamic fundamentalism that saw the government's authority ceding to anti-state players in more than half of Pakistan. "This is not a deal for power, this is a deal to ensure there is democracy in Pakistan, it's the people who are sovereign, it's they who should decide who will rule them," she said.