Benazir claims no deal reached with military regime
Dubai (PTI)" Claiming that she has not struck any deal with Pakistan's military regime, former Premier Benazir Bhutto on Wednesday vowed to return home on Thursday after eights years in self-imposed exile to bring democracy and human rights to the "repressed people" of her country.
The 54-year-old two-time former Prime Minister, who is set to fly to Karachi from here, said her homecoming was the outcome of protracted negotiations that began in 1999 to usher in democracy to Pakistan and end the army's role in politics.
Accusing other parties, including the PML-N of exiled former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, of striking deals with the military regime, Bhutto told a news conference here: "As far as the Pakistan People's Party is concerned, we have not done any deal.
"We have held negotiations for the transition to democracy and certain initial positive developments have taken place in that regard in light of the announcement by (President Pervez) Musharraf before the Supreme Court that he would take off his uniform and also through the National Reconciliation Ordinance in which the role of the opposition has been acknowledged."
The ordinance is a controversial law promulgated by Musharraf on the eve of the October six presidential poll to grant amnesty to Bhutto and other politicians in graft cases. However, Sharif is not covered under the ordinance.
Musharraf had told the Supreme Court he would doff his uniform by November 15 but had recently indicated he would take a final decision on this issue after the court rules on petitions against his candidature in the Presidential poll.
Bhutto made it clear that the PPP was unwilling to do business with Musharraf as long as he retained uniform. "The PPP can't work with leaders in uniform because we want a democratic nation," she said.
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