Benazir says will accept Musharraf as President

Islamabad, Sep 28 (UNI) Pakistan People's Party (PPP) chairperson Benazir Bhutto has said she would accept General Pervez Musharraf as President if she became prime minister, provided the Supreme Court passed a verdict in his favour and he was re-elected as President.

She said it was for the people of Pakistan to determine who would be President and Prime Minister. ''I will accept the verdict of the court and I will accept the verdict of the people of Pakistan,'' she said in an interview to a TV channel.

The PPP chairperson claimed that she would be a more effective ally in the US ''war on terror'' because her party had a support base among the people.

Ms Bhutto said, if elected, her party would empower the people of the tribal areas, introduce fundamental human rights, provide them with opportunities of employment and education and seek their support in dismantling the militant networks.

''We have fought with drug lords of tribal areas in the past who had unofficial armies of their own, but we succeeded because the people supported us,'' she said. Benazir said she was confident that with the support of tribesmen, she could root out cross-border terrorism from the tribal areas in 12 to 18 months.

UNI