'Benazir likely to support Musharraf's re-election'

Islamabad, Jun 29: Exiled former Pakistan Prime Minister and PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto is likely to ''covertly'' support President's Pervez Musharraf's re-election by making her party members abstain from the process.

Ms Bhutto is willing to support the President's re-election from the next assemblies, reports cited top PML sources as saying, on the basis of recent contacts of government interlocutors with the London-based opposition leader.

''Though she is not willing to vote for the President even if all cases against her are withdrawn, but she has indicated that she would covertly support the re-election by asking her party to abstain at the time of voting,'' they added.

The PML leaders also said they had advised President Musharraf to dissolve the national assembly if the Opposition's All-Party Conference, in London early next month, decides to make their members resign en masse in a bid to block his re-election.

''We have proposed dissolution of the National Assembly in case the opposition's All Parties Conference (APC) in London, to be held on July 7 and 8, decides to resign from the assemblies ... legal opinion is being sought and a final decision will be taken after the APC meet,'' they said.

In view of the president's re-election between September 15 and October 15, the National Assembly has to be dissolved before July 14 to meet the procedural requirements, the sources said, adding that the decision can be taken earlier.

Provincial assemblies would remain intact until they were automatically dissolved on completion of their tenure, they said, noting that this would entail a two-phase general elections.

''But all this depends on legal advice and political consultations,'' they stressed.

The sources did not rule out imposition of a state of emergency, but said this would be the ''last option.''

UNI