Benazir asks Musharraf to move quickly to defuse situation
Washington (PTI): Asking General Pervez Musharraf to move quickly to defuse the situation and restore the Constitution, former Pakistan premier Benazir Bhutto has said Opposition parties would meet to decide on a "consensus plan of action".
"I'm very disappointed.... He's said he's done this to stop extremism but many people in Pakistan believe that this has actually been done to stop the Supreme Court from giving an adverse order against his eligibility to remain as army chief and president of the country," Bhutto said in an interview with National Public Radio.
The Pakistan People's Party chief, who returned to her country last month from an eight-year self-exile under a power sharing deal with the General, warned that "subversion of democracy" could fuel further extremism.
Bhutto said the political parties will meet to share views and come up with a "consensus plan of action".
"....certainly demonstrations will be under unless General Musharraf moves quickly to defuse the situation and restore the constitution," she said.
"...it would be dangerous but the dangers of not doing anything are far greater. We either acquiesce to the spread of extremism and terrorism in our country. And if we don't acquiesce then we are termed controversial and polarizing.
"But we feel that we cannot accept and acquiesce to the rise of militancy and extremism in our country, which threaten our people's lives and so although there are risks, we have to take those risks," Bhutto maintained.
She also expressed fear that she might be arrested.
"... I never know when I'll be arrested. I expected to be arrested last night when I reached my country. I'm thankful I wasn't arrested," Bhutto said.
"I hope I'm not arrested, but irrespective, that Pakistan and its people's dream for a democratic future must be nurtured and nourished and not killed out of fear of arrest," she said.
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