Pakistan's former prime minister Benazir Bhutto quashed reports that she or the Pakistan People's Party, which she had been heading since the hanging of her father in 1979, has finally cut a deal with the military to be in power again.

But she did drop a hint that instead of she herself becoming the prime minister for a third time would be too happy to nominate someone else from her party to take that assignment in future.

Bhutto remarked that "I have no personal enmity with Musharraf. We have been continuing our dialogue with Musharraf. I want to nominate someone else as prime minister and want to guide the party."

Bhutto became prime minister of Pakistan first time in 1988 and lasted in office for barely 20 months, but she won an election victory again in 1993, but was removed on graft and other charges after three years. She naturally seems disillusioned with the pattern of power politics in Pakistan where the army has been a dominating factor even when civilians are in control.

She had been letting off feelers since being out of power in 1996 that she hated to be in office again and that she was willing to see her nominee do the job for the party. But this time in her interview with an Indian magazine, Bhutto was more precise in her comments.

She made it quite clear that she would not be aspiring for power any more and would ask someone else to lead the party in the parliament.

She would confine herself to guiding the party from home, where she could look after her children, who she thought had been denied the kind of affection they needed from the mother.

Our Lahore Correspondent adds: In a distinct switch from her previous stance, Benazir also held that "Musharraf is a better man than Nawaz Sharif, who treated me worse than an animal." While denying that any deal‚ had been reached with Musharraf, Benazir did say she was in contact with the military leadership.

However, she declined to explain what the purpose of this contact was and what the issues under discussion were.

The comments are seen as highly significant since it is thought a key demand of the military regime has been that Benazir should step aside from the frontline of PPP politics.

It is now thought a broad agreement on this has been reached with Makhdoom Amin Fahim, an experienced PPP leader from Sindh, tipped as the man poised to take over the reins of the PPP.

The development would also mean that the military regime would in fact has succeeded in removing both former prime ministers Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto from the political arena, at least for the present.

The recent much-publicised meeting between Fahim and President General Pervez Musharraf is thought to be a move in the same direction.

However, there is conjecture as to what role the regime has in mind for the Pakistan Muslim League like-minded group, which was the force widely seen as being patronised by the military.

"It is possible that a national government arrangement is being worked out, or else that the government wants to remove the impression that it is backing the PML rebels," said an experienced political leader.

The indications that Fahim could soon take charge of the PPP have received a somewhat mixed reception.

Qaiser Qayyum, a long time PPP activist and workers leader in Gujranwala told Gulf News that "it could be a good move, but many emotions are linked to those of the Bhutto family itself, and I am not certain how people will respond to a party that has no Bhutto in its ranks."

This perception was said to be even more strongly felt in parts of the southern Punjab and in Sindh.