Benazir calls for 'people's revolution' to end Musharraf's rule
Lahore (PTI): Former Pakistan Premier Benazir Bhutto, released from house arrest, on Friday sought a "people's revolution" to overthrow President Pervez Musharraf's eight- year reign as she rejected the caretaker government sworn-in by him to steer the country towards the general election.
"This caretaker government is an extension of the (ruling) PML-Q and is not acceptable," Bhutto, who was freed under apparent US pressure, told reporters here.
Her comments came after Musharraf's handpicked leader Mohammedmian Soomro was sworn-in as the caretaker Prime Minister by the General in the run-up to the general election due in early January. Parliament was dissolved at midnight on Thursday night after completing its five-year term.
Calling for a "people's revolution" to oust the Musharraf regime, Bhutto, the leader of opposition Pakistan People's Party (PPP), pledged to continue with her party's protest march against emergency.
After Bhutto was served with a seven-day detention order on Tuesday - which was however cut short, her party launched a "long march" from Lahore to the capital Islamabad to protest against the emergency rule. The government said that the rally was being taken out in violation of the emergency regulations.
Authorities prevented Bhutto, the two-time former Prime Minister who returned to Pakistan on October 18 after eight years in self-imposed exile, from leading anti-emergency protests by placing her under house arrest.
opposition leaders, including exiled former Premier Nawaz Sharif, in a bid to form a national unity government.
"I believe it is hard to build a coalition but I will take on the task.... I talked to Nawaz Sharif and told him that I am discussing with all leaders the formation of an interim government."
About the general elections, Bhutto said her party was still inclined to boycott the vote, which the opposition believed would not be held in a free and fair manner.
Bhutto also renewed her call for Musharraf to quit and said that the General's sidelining of moderate parties had led to the rise of extremism in the country.
"Do we want to deny this nation its true legitimate leadership and make way ... for extremist forces?" she asked.
"The West's interests lie in a democratic Pakistan," she said ahead of US Undersecretary of State John Negroponte's visit to Pakistan for talks with Musharraf.
Bhutto had earlier said that she was not in favour of fresh talks with Musharraf and urged the Bush Administration to facilitate an "exit strategy" for the General, fearing that the country would be taken over by al-Qaeda and Taliban if the General remained in power. PTI KIM AKJ KIM 11161810 DEL
Keyword BHUTTO-MUSHARRAF 2 LAST Reference Filename ptis4503 Source ID ptis Seq. No. 4503 Take No. Source PTIS Cat. Code PTIS-FGN Priority Words Time 18:06 Date 16 Nov '07w4ptis1
