Benazir Bhutto attacked Pervez Musharraf saying he was worried over the outcome of the SC judgement on the challenge to his re-election as President in uniform.
KARACHI: Calling the 'undemocratic' measure imposed on Pakistan as not Emergency but Martial law, former premier Benazir Bhutto on Sunday attacked Pervez Musharraf saying he was worried over the outcome of the Supreme Court judgement on the challenge to his re-election as President in uniform.
Bhutto also warned that the controversial move would feed militants and give them 'a new lease of life.'
"Gen Musharraf has given supporters and sympathisers in the regime of the militants a new lease of life. He has extended their tenure," Bhutto said at her Bilawal house.
The Emergency was imposed not with the stability of the country in mind, she said, adding "Emergency rule is no solution we need to move forward. I am confident the nation will resist this undemocratic step."
"The militants need the dictatorship," she said, adding "They feed off each other."
She said what Musharraf had done was not declaration of emergency but martial law because he has kept the constitution in abeyance and that he has imposed it as Chief of Army Staff and not as a Civilian President.
The two-time premier, who recently returned to Pakistan ending eight years of self-exile, said she agrees with the President that the country was on the verge of destabilization but felt that e mergency rule was not a solution.
"Unless Gen Musharraf reverses the course, it will be very difficult to have fair elections," Bhutto, who made a quick dash from Dubai here on Saturday night after the declaration of emergency.
In a point-by-point rebuttal of Musharraf's televised address in which he sought to justify emergency, she said "I agree with him that we are facing a political crisis, but believe the problem is dictatorship. I don't believe the solution is dictatorship", she said.
Bhutto, who survived a suicide bomb attack on her homecoming rally here in which some 140 people were killed, said there was a real threat of a takeover by radical Islamist elements who have grown in strength and stature in last five years, but emergency rule would only encourage extremists.
"I agree with the diagnosis but I don't agree with the cure," the Pakistan People's Party leader said.
"There has been a collapse of internal security and we need to restore the authority of government but not with emergency. We need to restore the writ of the constitution and people," she said.
Bhutto said she would be willing to meet Musharraf if he wanted but would tell him to lift the emergency and restore the constitution which is now in abeyance.
"The only solution to stopping more destabilisation in the country is to restore the authority of government or things will get worse."
She also called on the international community to pressurise Musharraf into removing the emergency law.
Bhutto, who was in talks with Musharraf for a power-sharing deal ahead of general elections scheduled for January, said, "We wanted a political solution and to bring the country from dictatorship to democracy but there has not been any response from the other side."
"The purpose of dialogue with Musharraf was to bring the country back to a democratic path," she said.
The 54-year-old opposition leader also told Britain's Sky television that it was a very difficult situation for the country. "Instead of moving to democracy, we are going backwards towards greater dictatorship."
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