Musharraf met Bhutto to negotiate a 'safe exit'

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf met former Prime Minister in exile Benazir Bhutto at Abu Dhabi recently to negotiate a deal for a safe exit, a senior opposition leader has said.

"The Abu Dhabi meeting was held on Musharraf's asking. The President wants a safe exit and that is why he had sought mediation of various people to negotiate the same with Bhutto," the 'Dawn' reported today, quoting Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader Abida Hussain as saying.

According to her, Musharraf's graph had nose-dived within no time. "A few months ago no one believed that the President would get weaker so soon."

Stating that it was for Musharraf to prove in the Supreme Court that he was eligible to contest the presidential election in uniform, Hussain said, "In case, the apex court clears him, still he would become a titular head of state in the days ahead."

The Islamic nation's ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML) also stood no future, she claimed.

Hussain, a former Minister, however, defended her party chief by saying that the PPP Chairperson met Musharraf only for the sake of democracy.

Though many people had reservations about the meeting, she said, the PPP chief took a better decision in the interest of Pakistan. "Everyone has the right to have his own opinion on the issue. But those who want the nation to make a smooth transition to democracy will support Bhutto's move."

Bhutto had also shared all the details of the Abu Dhabi meeting with the media in presence of a large number of party leaders who were in London recently to seek party tickets for the general elections slated for later this year, she said.