Benazir blames Shujaat for preventing deal with Musharraf

Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has blamed Pakistan Muslim League (Quami) chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain for preventing President Pervez Musharraf from finalising a power-sharing deal with her.

Washington, Aug 26 : Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has blamed Pakistan Muslim League (Quami) chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain for preventing President Pervez Musharraf from finalising a power-sharing deal with her.

In an interview to the Washington Post, Bhutto alleged that Chaudhry Shujaat was urging Musharraf to forge an alliance with the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA).

"He is telling Musharraf to go with the enemy-- the religious parties-- and we can get you re-elected, and we don't need the Pakistan People's Party (PPP)," she said.

Bhutto said Chaudhry Shujaat is setting Musharraf up for failure.

"He is saying that seek re-election and I would be your cover candidate," she added.

Bhutto alleged that a lot of the people involved in the Afghan jihad were supporting Chaudhry Shujaat.

"If Musharraf is knocked out by the courts, guess who would be the President? Chaudhry Shujaat," said Bhutto while explaining why she believes that the PML-Q leader is setting Musharraf up for failure.

"It's under his party that the extremists have spread in power. Musharraf thinks he needs these people, but they are planning to depose him," she said.

"Musharraf trusts them because he's been working with them. To us, it's a fight between moderation and extremism," the Dawn quoted Bhutto, as saying.

She said that Musharraf had contacted her after their first meeting in Abu Dhabi and she expected him to get back to her by the end of the month with a decision on the demands submitted to him.

If the negotiations with Musharraf fell apart, she can always turn to other political parties to work together for restoring democracy to Pakistan, but not the PML-N, Bhutto said.

"Nawaz Sharif and I had a falling out over the MMA. I think they are the supporters of extremist groups. Sharif wanted an alliance with them and I did not. As long as he is with them and they are in government, we will go as a third force," Bhutto added.he said that since 2002, the military, the religious parties and Chaudhry Shujaat have been in power, and their alliance has put Pakistan on the path to militancy and extremism.

Bhutto said that under the power-sharing arrangement she was discussing with Musharraf, he would continue to be the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces as President but would have to retire from the army.

The President, she said, would also have to give the power to dissolve the Parliament and sack an elected government.

Bhutto recalled that when she met Musharraf in Abu Dhabi, she told the General that she would not accept a President who is also the Army Chief and that's why he needs to quit the army and respect the Constitution.

ANI