A defiant Musharraf also rejected the US demand to lift the emergency imposed by him that led to the suspension of the Constitution, dismissal of Supreme Court judges and arrest of thousands of Opposition workers, lawyers and human rights activists.
“Constitutionally today, she (Bhutto) has been prime minister twice, what about the third time? She is not legally allowed, she is not Constitutionally allowed. Why are we taking things for granted?” he said in a wide-ranging interview to The New York Times.
Musharraf, 64, had earlier passed a law barring a prime minister serving more than two terms.
Bhutto’s plan for her party to take a ‘caravan’ across Punjab province was “a preposterous thing to do”, Musharraf said, referring to the ‘long march’ of her Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) from Lahore to Islamabad.
He questioned the 54-year-old Bhutto’s popularity and, at one point, scanned an op-ed article she recently wrote for The New York Times that he had brought with him to the interview.
In reaction to her claim that she would sweep the election, Musharraf said: “Let’s start the elections and let’s see whether she wins.”
Musharraf also said that Bhutto, who returned home last month from eight years in self-imposed exile after the General issued an ordinance to grant her amnesty in graft cases, would be difficult to work with.
Before Bhutto’s return to Pakistan, she was engaged in possible power-sharing talks with Musharraf and both sides had announced that they were close to a deal.
House arrest
Musharraf said she was under house arrest because she had accused Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi of plotting against her. Thus, Bhutto was grounded to prevent an incident that she could then blame on the government, he said.
He also complained about Bhutto’s conduct since her return to Pakistan a month ago.
“You come here supposedly on a reconciliatory mode, and right before you land, you’re on a confrontationist mode. I am afraid this is producing negative vibes, negative optics.”On Tuesday, Bhutto, who was placed under house arrest in Lahore to prevent her from leading a march against the emergency, urged Musharraf to quit as President and said she would never serve under him in any future government.
Asked when the emergency would end, Musharraf said: “I don’t know, I don’t know. We need to see the environment.”
Musharraf, who came to power in a bloodless coup in 1999, also refused to say when he would step down as army chief and become a civilian president.
“It will happen soon,” he said.
Joining hands
Meanwhile, former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif joined hands in the effort to forge a united front with other political parties to take on General Musharraf. For the first time, Bhutto on Tuesday held direct parleys on phone with Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed.
PPP secretary general Jahangir Badar, talking to reporters outside Khosa’s house, said, “Talks with other parties and all democratic forces like the bar associations are on to carry on our campaign for civilian democratic rule.”
Speaking to Reuters by telephone from Saudi Arabia, Sharif said he was ready to work with Benazir Bhutto, against the military rule of President Pervez Musharraf.
Term ends
However, Pakistan’s National Assembly will be dissolved on Thursday midnight and a caretaker government will be sworn in on Friday, Minister of State for Information Tariq Azeem said on Wednesday.
The Parliament would be ‘automatically dissolved’ on Thursday midnight after completing its five-year term. Senate Chairman Mohammedmian Soomro has emerged as the front-runner for the post of caretaker prime minister.
His name tops a short list of candidates drawn up by the government, including some former envoys and retired generals.