Pakistan power-sharing talks stalled - Bhutto

UK: Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf’s plans for power-sharing with Benazir Bhutto hit trouble Wednesday as the ex-premier said talks were “totally stalled” and his allies opposed an amnesty for her.

Musharraf, a key US ally who seized power of the nuclear-armed Islamic republic in a 1999 coup, also faced pressure at home as the Supreme Court heard last-ditch appeals against his bid for re-election on Saturday.

The Pakistani government said on Tuesday it would drop corruption cases against Bhutto, one of her conditions for a pact ahead of her planned return from exile on October 18.

But the former prime minister disputed Wednesday that any pact to decide the country’s political future had been sealed or the threat of jail removed.

“The power-sharing deal is totally stalled,” Bhutto said on arrival at talks of her Pakistan People’s Party in London, adding that Musharraf refused to take “tangible steps” toward restoring democracy.

“It’s absolutely wrong, the news the corruption charges have been dropped,” she added. “It’s a disinformation campaign run by... the head of the intelligence bureau.”

London, Thursday, AFP.