UNITED KINGDOM: Two former Prime Ministers of Pakistan pledge to return to their country to fight for "free and fair" elections

Record ID: 862436

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: Two former Prime Ministers of Pakistan pledge to return to their country to fight for "free and fair" elections
  • Date: 20th October 2006
  • Summary: (W5) LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM (OCTOBER 19, 2006)(REUTERS) VARIOUS MEMBERS OF MAIN SECULAR INCLUDING FORMER PRIME MINISTERS OF PAKISTAN, MRS BENAZIR BHUTTO AND MR NAWAZ SHARIF POSE FOR PHOTOGRAPHS VARIOUS MEMBERS OF MAIN SECULAR INCLUDING FORMER PRIME MINISTERS OF PAKISTAN, MRS BENAZIR BHUTTO AND MR NAWAZ SHARIF HOLDING MEETING
  • Embargoed: 4th November 2006 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom
  • City:
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA9YRQX28BW9DZ9C40LPHXYK9KJ
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: Two former Prime Ministers of Pakistan say they'll return to their country to fight for "free and fair" elections next year.
    Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif called for a "restoration of democracy" in Pakistan whose president General Pervez Musharraf seized power in a military coup in 1999.
    Mrs Bhutto and Mr Sharif allied themselves against Musharraf in May and have vowed to restore democracy in their homeland. The two are the principal leaders of Pakistan's main secular opposition parties.
    At a packed news conference in London and attended by many journalists from Pakistan, Mrs Bhutto said she hoped to return to Pakistan for elections in 2007.
    "I'd like to go back to Pakistan before the next general elections, the sooner I can go back the better but the optimum date I am keeping in mind is between now and next fall because the parliament will be dissolved in November and elections will be held in February so I will obviously have to go back before November," said Bhutto.
    A member of the media questioned whether rumours of secret attempts to negotiate with President Musharraf may have poisoned any attempts Bhutto had of forging an alliance against Musharraf.
    "Well I hope that they have not been poisoned because such reports have come for seven years. And we of the PPP stand for democratisation of Pakistan and we paid a very heavy price for the democratisation of Pakistan. We are not interested in any individuals, we are interested in the future of our country," Bhutto.
    President Musharraf has allied himself to America's fight against extremism and is seen as a key player in the war against al Qaeda.
    Mr Sharif, who was ousted by President Musharraf in October 1999, told the news conference he was in agreement with Mrs Bhutto's sentiments.
    "The elections are due in 2007 and we have every intention of going back to Pakistan before the elections. Musharraf says he will not allow Benezir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif to come back to Pakistan but I think he is just fooling himself. He talks about free and fair elections but at the same time he also says that he will allow both leaders to come back to Pakistan and participate in the elections. So we will go, it is our country, we will participate in the elections," said Sharif.
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