Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf has received the support of the Army in his bid to enter into a power-sharing 'deal' with former Premier Benazir Bhutto.
ISLAMABAD/LONDON: Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf has received the support of the Army in his bid to enter into a power-sharing 'deal' with former Premier Benazir Bhutto but facing a rebellion in the rank and file of the ruling party, according to media reports.
Without revealing its sources in Islamabad, leading British newspaper 'The Daily Telegraph' has reported that senior figures in the military're backing an arrangement with Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) which will ensure Musharraf's re-election and her return home to contest parliamentary polls slated for later this year.
But, the daily said that contrary to Bhutto's claims, Musharraf had rejected accepting her demand to shed his army role before the presidential polls sometime next month as part of the 'deal' because of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML)'s reservations over the former Premier's demand.
Even in a report published on Saturday, a Pakistani daily has claimed that ruling party chief Shujaat Hussain conveyed the outfit's reservations over the 'deal' with the PPP to the President which forced the latter to reject Bhutto's demand and express his desire to seek re-election in uniform.
"Hussain suggested Musharraf to explore other options, including dialogue with the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), in case talks with the PPP failed following which Musharraf gave a green signal to the government to contact the party as an alternative option," 'The News' quoted unnamed sources as saying in the Pakistani capital.
The sources said that PML leaders had also rejected Bhutto's demand for removal of bar on third-time premiership as one of the conditions for entering into the 'deal' with Musharraf and vowed "it would get the President re-elected in uniform from the incumbent assemblies".
Moreover, the ruling party leaders had opposed the Constitution amendment as suggested by the former Premier, fearing that it might facilitate the Prime Minister to become more powerful in the country.
"We have strong reservations on these issues and will not accept these demands. We also feel that there should be no pre-conditions to dialogue," the sources told the Pakistani daily, quoting a senior PML leader as saying.
It may be mentioned that Bhutto had fixed Friday as the deadline for Musharraf to agree to her terms. But, she has not yet got any public commitment from the President on her pre-conditions to the 'deal', particularly on the uniform issue -- the demand he had reportedly rejected.
"While the President believes in dialogue and deliberations on all important national issues, he never works under any pressure or ultimatum," Musharraf's spokesperson Rashid Qureshi had recently said in a statement issued to the media.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}