Musharraf tells exiled PMs to stay away from elections

Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf has repeated his opposition to the return of two exiled former prime ministers before parliamentary elections later this year.

Army general Musharraf, facing his worst political crisis since seizing power in a bloodless coup in 1999, has said his government would hold parliamentary elections later this year, but he wants exiled prime ministers Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto to stay away from Pakistan in the run up to the polls.

Pakistan’s independent Geo news channel reported yesterday that Musharraf reiterated his stand at a meeting of Pakistani newspaper editors.

Pakistan’s information minister Mohammed Ali Durrani confirmed the meeting and Musharraf’s remarks.

Musharraf’s comment came days after he decided against imposing a state of emergency which would have drastically curtailed freedoms of the public and judiciary.

Musharraf is struggling to deal with a combination of political and security problems. His popularity has ebbed since his bungled attempt to remove Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry in March drew thousands of protesters into the streets and raised calls for democracy.

In addition, there have been more than 360 deaths in the past month in surging militant violence.

Musharraf reportedly discussed a power-sharing deal with Bhutto in recent weeks, but the two have yet to make any such pact public.

Bhutto left Pakistan in 1999 to avoid arrest in corruption cases registered against her by then-prime minister Sharif.

Sharif was exiled to Saudi Arabia by Musharraf in 2000 as part of a reported agreement under which he would not return home within 10 years.

Sharif and Bhutto have said that they would return to Pakistan before this year’s elections.