NYT : Pakistan Deal Is Stalled, Bhutto Says

Pakistan Deal Is Stalled, Bhutto Says

By REUTERS | October 3, 2007

LONDON (Reuters) - Pakistan's former prime minister Benazir Bhutto said power-sharing talks with President Pervez Musharraf were "totally stalled" as her party met on Wednesday to consider resigning from parliament.

Bhutto, who plans to return to Pakistan on October 18 after eight years of exile, accused the military leader of failing to deliver on promises of a return to democracy.

She said her Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), the largest opposition faction, would decide at talks in London whether to resign from parliament and provincial assembles which are expected on Saturday to re-elect Musharraf as president.

"The Peoples Party is not in the business of saving military dictatorships. We want to save democracy," Bhutto, 54, told reporters.

"Either today or tomorrow we are taking the decision whether, prior to the presidential elections, we should resign from the assemblies in protest at the inability of the Musharraf government to move towards the restoration of democracy in Pakistan."

The PPP is not in a position to stop Musharraf's re-election but could damage the credibility of the election process if it boycotted the vote.

More than 80 opposition members of parliament have resigned in protest against his standing for re-election while army chief. Musharraf has vowed to step down as head of the military before being sworn in for a new presidential term, and on Tuesday named a former intelligence chief to take the post.

"DISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN"

Musharraf's government said corruption charges against Bhutto relating to her two terms in power would be dropped. But Bhutto said her party had checked with the presidency and found this was not the case.

"This is just a typical disinformation campaign by the present regime," she said.

Musharraf, leader of the only nuclear-armed Islamic nation, is seen by the United States as a key partner in the war on terrorism. U.S. intelligence officials have voiced concern that al Qaeda is rebuilding its strength in remote tribal areas along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Bhutto said extremism was growing.

"The longer the military regime continues in this fashion, the more anarchic the situation becomes," she said. "I am afraid we are heading for a situation which could lead to street agitation."

She said that, despite pledges from Musharraf in the power-sharing talks to introduce democratic reforms, "on the ground, nothing has changed from nine months ago."

Among the PPP's demands are a removal of the ban on anyone serving a third term as prime minister, which would disqualify Bhutto. A parliamentary election is due by mid-January.

Bhutto said there had been no movement on this and other issues, despite promises from Musharraf.

"He's not prepared to give a level playing-field," she said before entering the small, terraced London house where dozens of PPP members, most of them having flown in from Pakistan, had earlier gathered for the talks.