|
Islamabad: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairperson Benazir Bhutto has said her party is willing to talk with the military regime, as talks are the only way to oust the military from politics.
"We haven't reached any agreement with the government, but we can't deny talks for the sake of democracy," the former premier said in an interview with a private television channel yesterday.
Benazir said that it would be difficult to oust the military from politics, as anti-democratic forces would put up resistance. "Channels should be kept open for talks," she added.
She criticised extremism and said it could only be defeated through real democracy. "The extremists wanted to convert Pakistan into a Taliban state. If that happened the entire world would turn against Pakistan," she said.
She said she did not know if the opposition had refused to be involved in any future coalition with the Mutahidda Qaumi Movement.
Bhutto reiterated her determination to return to Pakistan and vowed her party would win if free and fair elections were held.
Meanwhile, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, president of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML), told senior journalists yesterday Bhutto is engaged in talks with the army and not with the ruling party.
Uniformed president
"On the one hand Benazir Bhutto was criticising President [Pervez] Musharraf in uniform and on the other hand she was also busy in talks with the same uniformed president," he added.
"The PPP has its own practices in politics, its leader time and again refused to strike any deal with the uniformed president and time and again admitted having contacts with the regime," he added.
"We are not in a position to predict anything regarding the stance of the PPP but we are sure of our own preparedness for the forthcoming general elections," the chief of the ruling party claimed.
Shujaat said if the opposition parties tried to create anarchy in the country by resigning en masse from the assemblies, the government might declare an emergency.
"Being the ruling party, PML had to adopt a principled stand keeping in view the wishes of the people on all important issues but opposition parties on the other hand adopted the policy of opposition for the sake of opposition," Shujaat said.
|
