'Musharraf considering amnesty for politicians'

Lahore, Aug 23: Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has said that President Pervez Musharraf is considering an amnesty for politicians as a "confidence-building measure" before forthcoming elections.

"The government should take confidence-building measures and ensure free and fair elections, so that we know whether the government is serious about reaching some agreement with us or otherwise," Bhutto told Geo News.

Bhutto said that the government must finalise a power-sharing agreement by the last week of August because after that she needed to prepare her party's strategy two weeks before the presidential election.

She said her party could talk to Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, and added that talks with the government were affecting her party's credibility and some were trying to make an independent group within the PPP.

Bhutto gave details of a possible agreement that would reduce Gen Musharraf's power while allowing her to return from exile, the Daily Times reported.

She asked Musharraf to explain how election organisers will prevent rigging in parliamentary polls and give some powers he took after the 1999 coup back to Parliament.

Bhutto said that there were going to be "two presidential elections", one in September in which Musharraf would stand in uniform, and the other after general elections through the new assemblies.

ANI>