President asks Sharif to change 'approach'

Islamabad: President Pervez Musharraf has advised former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to adopt a conciliatory approach to become part of a confrontation-free political culture which he said he was trying to promote in Pakistan.

In an interview to CNBC channel aired yesterday, Musharraf indicated that reconciliation with Sharif was possible after the general elections if the exiled political leader changed his attitude.

"After the elections and if he [Sharif] is in conciliatory mode we will see then," Musharraf said when asked if he would reconcile with Sharif like he had done with Pakistan Peoples Party leader and former premier Benazir Bhutto.

The opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader was re-exiled to Saudi Arabia on September 10 after he returned, despite a Supreme Court verdict upholding his "inalienable" right to enter and remain the country.

The top court is to hear on October 17 a contempt petition over his second deportation.

Musharraf stressed he wanted a peaceful and orderly run-up to the general elections, which the government has said were expected by January 15.

The president once again said he had asked Bhutto to delay her return to the country, taking into account the ongoing cases in the Supreme Court.

The court is hearing challenges to the legality of the presidential election won by Musharraf as well as petitions against a national reconciliation ordinance issued by him on October 5.

It has linked the implementation of the ordinance to its final decision on the petitions. The ordinance cleared the way for withdrawal of the pending corruption cases against Benazir and other politicians related to the 1986-1999 period.

Musharraf, however, reiterated that the government would not stop the PPP leader, who according to her party, has rejected the suggestion to change her programme to fly into Karachi on October 18 as scheduled.

Musharraf said his main concern was that there should be no political turmoil ahead of the general elections and added that he was hopeful that PPP would act in line with the need for an environment free of tension and confrontation.

As for the election campaign, he said it was for the Election Commission to set the rules of the game for smooth and peaceful political activities.

The president, who has pledged to shed the uniform and start new five-year term as civilian head of state, defended the National Security Council (NSC), saying the civilian-military body had a role "in our culture".

He pointed out that in the past people came to the army - the only "integrated force and organised institution" in the the country - in times of political upheaval arising from tension between holders of the offices of president and prime minister.

The president said with the formation NSC problems could be thrashed out within this framework.