Bhutto claims Sharif agreed to power-sharing deal

BRITAIN: Exiled former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto said in an interview published on Monday that she had reached a “verbal” agreement with fellow exiled political rival Nawaz Sharif in which she would have the first chance at running the country.

A senior official within former prime minister Sharif’s political party in Pakistan, however, denied that any such agreement had been reached, the Financial Times reported. Speaking to the FT, Bhutto said: “Mr Nawaz Sharif and I agree. Mr Nawaz says, ‘You should be the prime minister for the first five-year term,’ and after that five-year term he wants to run.”

“So I hope that we can move forward. That’s a verbal discussion between us, but that is what he has said to me.”

She said that she had struck the deal with Sharif so that the pair could present a united front to put the army back under civilian control. Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, secretary-general of Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League (N), denied, however, that the deal described by Bhutto had been reached, with the FT quoting him as saying: “The people will decide in fair elections who forms the government.”

Bhutto also acknowledged in the interview that her Pakistan People’s Party had been discussing a potential deal with Musharraf that would allow him to stay on as president so long as he relinquished his role as head of the army.

“We’ve had discussions, but they have not moved forward ... We’ve left all options open.”

Musharraf insisted last month, however, that neither Bhutto nor Sharif would be allowed to return to Pakistan ahead of the country’s general election, due later this year or early next year.

London, Monday, AFP