Bhutto, Sharif meet in Jeddah

In significant development in Pakistan’s politics, long-standing rivals and exiled former PMs Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Shaif today met in Jeddah for the first time in six years and discussed a joint strategy to regain their political base. The leaders discussed ‘‘political matters’’ over lunch, Bhutto’s spokesman Ghulam Muhammad Banglani said. Bhutto’s husband Asif Ali Zardari was also present.

Their meeting came in the backdrop of President General Pervez Musharraf’s reported overtures to reach some political understanding with their respective parties before permitting them to return home.

Bhutto and Sharif would meet again after the PPP chief and her husband complete their visit to the holy city of Mecca.

Though Bhutto and Sharif, staying in Jeddah after he was overthrown by Musharraf, had put up a coordinated opposition to the military ruler’s continuation as President, this was the first time they met to discuss a joint strategy. In recent weeks, Pakistani ministers said talks were being held with both through emissaries to work out political understanding to secure their support for Musharraf to continue as President till 2007 and beyond in return for their home-coming.