I didn’t meet Sharif: Bhutto

‘‘Let people speculate about it, but no meeting has taken place with Nawaz Sharif,’’ Bhutto, chairperson of Pakistan People’s Party, told a PPP leader over phone from Dubai on Saturday night, The Nation daily reported. The paper, however, did not identify the PPP leader.

Bhutto reportedly said that Musharraf’s wife Begum Sehba had performed ‘‘umra’’ at Mecca and added ‘‘if I held a meeting with Nawaz Sharif and Kulsoom Nawaz, then I could meet the wife of General Musharraf as well, who was also there.’’

PPP sources said that Bhutto denied meeting Sharif as he has been banned by the Saudi Government from taking active part in politics. It was part of the deal between the Musharraf government and the Saudi royal family, under which Sharif, who was sentenced for life for preventing Musharraf’s plane from landing, was pardoned and allowed to go on exile.

In her telephonic conversation with the PPP leader, the former prime minister also said that she could contest the general elections in October despite Musharraf’s executive order.

The decree that was passed on Saturday night bars anyone from seeking a third term as prime minister, the daliy said.

‘‘I can contest election for the national Assembly and it does not make any difference that the military ruler has issued an order to block ways of those politicians who have assumed the prime minister’s slot two times,’’ she said.

Referring to Musharraf’s order, Bhutto said ‘‘it is just a start and the nation will see many dictatorial orders in this connection in the near future.’’

Meanwhile, chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Lt Gen Munir Hafeez, on Saturday said Bhutto will be arrested if she returns to the country from her self-exile in Dubai.

‘‘Benazir will be arrested because she is indicted in a reference and she has to face many pending cases,’’ Hafeez was quoted as saying by Pakistan’s online news agency.

He said that supplementary reference, based on fresh evidence of foreign assets and bank accounts of her husband Asif Zardari, had been submitted to the accountability courts. (PTI)