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Benazir thanks Sharief for show of support

Former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto has thanked her one-time political rival and another former prime minister Nawaz Sharief for pulling out of the October general election in protest against the rejection of her papers, but said he should have contested for the sake of democracy.

In a telephone call from London on Saturday, Bhutto reportedly told Sharief, who is in exile in Saudi Arabia, "Had you won, it would have been the victory of democracy."

Reciprocating her sentiment, Sharief said, "You are like my sister. Let us forget what happened in the past. Inshallah, soon we will both be in Pakistan."

In turn, Bhutto said, "We will not accept the military government, let us work together for a democratic and prosperous Pakistan."

Confirming this, Bhutto's spokesman in London, Wajid Shamsul Hasan, told The Nation, a Pakistani daily, that during their 20-minute talk, the two leaders agreed to have an electoral understanding for the October polls and co-operate under the umbrella of the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy.

Sharief had surprised political circles by announcing the withdrawal of his nomination papers, which had been accepted by election officials.

The two politicians had over a decade fought some bitter battles against each other. The bonhomie between them is significant as Sharief's government had instituted the 20 or so cases of corruption against Bhutto, on account of which she is now in exile.

In the wake of these new developments, it is likely that the Shariefs will allow Bhutto to return to Pakistan if the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) wins power.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's Election Commission on Sunday rejected within a span of two hours the two other sets of nomination papers filed by Bhutto for the National Assembly election.

No reason was given for the refusal to accept her nomination papers for one of the 14 provincial legislature seats in Sindh reserved for women. The other rejection of her nomination papers for the National Assembly was handed out in Larkana, her hometown in the southern province, on the grounds that she had been convicted for failing to appear before an anti-corruption court in person.

Her first set of papers filed from the neighbouring Rotero Dero constituency was rejected on Friday, prompting Sharief to pull out in protest.

In yet another development, a second set of nomination papers of Kulsoom Nawaz, Sharief's wife, filed from a constituency in Lahore, were rejected on the grounds that there was a discrepancy in her signature. Her papers for another constituency in Lahore have been accepted.

PTI

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