8216;We could work with Musharraf8217;

However Bhutto, leader of the country8217;s largest opposition party, the Pakistan People8217;s Party, said an alliance does carry risk and pointed to 8220;independent surveys8221; that say two-thirds of Pakistanis are unhappy with Musharraf.

Musharraf8217;s popularity has waned since his failed attempt to oust the country8217;s chief justice, Iftikhar Chaudhry, and amid unrest over deaths in the storming of Islamabad8217;s Red Mosque.

The military leader8217;s government is said to have reached out to Bhutto to bolster Musharraf8217;s prospects in elections expected in December or January. Analysts have said he will have trouble holding onto power without Bhutto8217;s support.

Bhutto said it was not 8220;realistic8221; to expect that Musharraf could continue to be both president and head of the military.

8220;When the president of a country also wears a uniform, it blurs the distinction between democracy and military rule,8221; she said. 8220;I think it is very important for General Musharraf to take off the uniform.8221;

Bhutto would not confirm or deny whether she had met with Musharraf. 8220;I would like to just confine myself to saying that there have been contacts between the military regime and the Pakistan People8217;s Party, including myself,8221; she said.

Bhutto said she believed that Pakistan, the United States, NATO and Afghanistan must work together to restore law and order to the 8220;tribal badlands8221; in Pakistan.