Benazir outlines a deal for power: Two polls to let Musharraf stay

ISLAMABAD, AUGUST 22: Former Pakistan premier Benazir Bhutto detailed for the first time a plan to keep President Pervez Musharraf in office under a power-sharing deal she said would strengthen the fight against terrorism.

“We’re not trying to bail out a military dictator by saying we will come there on your terms. What we are seeking is a compromise that could help bring about a stable, democratic, civilian order,” Bhutto said on PBS’s NewsHour With Jim Lehrer.

“What we’re negotiating for are certain changes that will empower Parliament to take on militants.”

She said Musharraf had to lift a ban on twice-elected PMs from serving again. Graft charges against herself and other ex-officials must be dropped, she said.

Asked what she was offering in return, Bhutto said: “There are going to be two presidential elections. The first presidential election is going to take place in September, when General Musharraf is still wearing the (military) uniform.”

While her PPP could not vote for him while he remains army chief, she suggested it would endorse him later if he gives up that post.

“If (parliamentary) elections are fair, and we have a level playing field, and he seeks re-election from the next assembly, then certainly the Parliament can consider that, if the uniform is not there,” she said.

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