Bhutto trying to form a national unity govt against Musharraf

Bhutto left open the question of whether she, or someone else, would lead such a government, saying it was a subject that would have to be worked out in negotiations. But she said a consensus must be reached that would ensure an orderly transition should Musharraf agree to step down.

The general has so far refused, saying he plans to relinquish his role as army chief by the end of November, heralding a return to civilian rule.

Bhutto confirmed she had been in contact by phone on Wednesday with exiled former prime minister Nawaz Sharif about working together, but had not yet broached the subject of a unity government with him. She said she was due to speak to him again later in the day.

Bhutto made the comments shortly after a visit from Bryan Hunt, the US consul general in the eastern Pakistani city. Hunt was allowed to cross the barricades and heavy police cordon surrounding the house where Bhutto has been confined since Tuesday.

He emerged an hour later and said he had told Bhutto of Washington’s wish for Musharraf to lift the state of Emergency, quit as army chief and free Opposition politicians and the media. “We need to move as rapidly as possible to have free and fair elections held on time,” Hunt said.

Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte is due to visit Pakistan on Friday and is expected to push for him to restore the Constitution and free thousands of arrested opponents.

Bhutto said Washington is concerned about a power vacuum in Pakistan, and wanted to know if she would still consider working with Musharraf. “He came to find out whether I could work with General Musharraf, and I told him that it was very difficult to work with someone who instead of taking us toward democracy took us back toward military dictatorship,” she said.

Bhutto said she tried to allay Washington’s concern about what would happen to this nuclear-armed nation if Musharraf were forced out, saying she shared the Americans misgivings and that a strategy for an orderly transition was a must.

The Americans “worry about what would happen if there was not a smooth transition, and they worry about what would happen if Musharraf left and there would be a vacuum. So that is a concern, and a valid concern,” she said. “I share that thought, too. In fact, once General Musharraf agrees to go, we need to have an exit strategy. I think an exit strategy is very important.”

Bhutto claimed Musharraf’s support within the military, particularly below the high command, was eroding as the crisis over his declaration of a state of Emergency deepened. “I believe the support within the military is waning,” she said. “I sense an enormous disquiet, the army feels rudderless, it feels leaderless. It feels its job is to defend the motherland, and instead it finds itself embroiled in a controversial domestic role.”

Thursday marks the end of the current Parliament’s five-year term. Musharraf’s concurrent presidential mandate also expires on Thursday, though he has extended it by calling the state of Emergency that has cast Pakistan into a deep political crisis.