Bhutto, Sharif

Washington, Aug. 26 (PTI): Former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has said if the much touted “deal” with President Pervez Musharraf fails to materialise, she might join hands with PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif if he agrees to part ways with the Islamist Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA).

Bhutto said she was negotiating with Musharraf against the wishes of many in her party because of the confidence of the international community and the armed forces in him.

“If our negotiations with Musharraf fall apart, we can always turn to the other political party,” she told the The Washington Post and Newsweek.

“(But) Nawaz Sharif and I had a falling out over the MMA. I think they (the MMA) are the supporters of extremist groups. Nawaz wanted an alliance with them and I did not. As long as he is with them and they are in government, we will go as a third force,” Bhutto said.

The Pakistan People’s Party chief, however, said that time for negotiations was “running out and both sides will know shortly where each stands”.

“Many in my party have been urging me to distance myself from General Musharraf. They say his popularity ratings are down,” she said. “But I am trying to convince them that the international community and the armed forces have confidence in Musharraf, and therefore we need to work out a solution (with him).”

Bhutto said she was facing pressure from two sides — those in the party who believe in dialogue and those who think that time is running out and that she cannot continue talking “unless there are upfront confidence-building measures”.

Sharif entry bar

In Islamabad, Musharraf has said that Nawaz Sharif would not be allowed to enter Pakistan and take part in elections, setting the stage for another confrontation with the judiciary.

“The government will neither allow the Sharif brothers to come back nor would they be given a free hand if they chose to return. If Nawaz Sharif is not honouring his ‘exile’ deal, the government will put him behind bars or send him back to Saudi Arabia,” The News quoted Musharraf as saying.

The supreme court had ruled on Thursday that Sharif and his brother Shahbaz were free to return to Pakistan after seven years in “forced” exile.