A day after Benazir Bhutto, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, was assassinated, cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan on Friday lashed out at President Pervez Musharraf calling him the “problem” of Pakistan.

Khan also urged India to back the democratic process in Pakistan and its people. He said New Delhi should not repeat the mistakes of the Bush administration of backing only one leader.

Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, Khan, who formed his own party Tehreek-e-Insaf, said that holding general elections in the present situation seemed problematic. He demanded the formation of a caretaker government after all political parties reached a consensus. He also stressed on the need to reinstate the sacked judges. “No one has faith in the current government and the only solution is to hold free and fair elections. Musharraf should resign and the judges be reinstated,” he said.

“Musharraf is not the solution, he is the problem of Pakistan,” Khan said. He went on to demand an independent inquiry into the assassination.

“The moment Bhutto arrived in Pakistan, she was under threat. She also escaped an attack after she arrived. We hold Musharraf responsible for this. Why wasn’t she provided with enough security cover?” Khan asked. “He is the red rag on the bull. The more he stays, the more terrorists will come,” he added.

According to him, the “US-backed power-sharing deal” between Bhutto and Musharraf jeopardised her life on her return to the country. “Benazir had arrived in Pakistan to fight terrorism as part of a power-sharing deal. She was under severe threat. The people who were targeting Musharraf would obviously target her. In the past, even Musharraf had already been attacked twice,” he said.

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