'Mush likely to meet Benazir to seal the deal'

Islamabad, Sep 4: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf is likely to meet former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in Dubai to seal the power sharing deal on Wednesday.If both sides reach an understanding on all issues, Musharraf might visit UAE in a couple of days to seal the deal with Bhutto, sources said.According to the sources, this meeting between Bhutto and Musharraf would be held at the Musharraf Palace.

Bhutto would resume talks with the aides of Musharraf on a power-sharing deal in United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday.

"Bhutto flew to UAE on Monday, while presidential aide Tariq Aziz was already there. The talks would be held on Tuesday," sources said.

Bhutto"s spokesman Farhatullah Babar maintained that no meeting was held on Monday with the presidential emissaries.

"She came to Dubai on Monday and no such meeting was scheduled, and no meeting is on the cards," Babar said.

However, officials said that the meeting would take place on Tuesday.

Sources said the talks would focus on the cases pending against Bhutto, and added that she wanted the cases against her blanketed under an amnesty law to be passed by Parliament.

"This is the main hurdle and it was not possible for the government to offer her blanket cover because the nature of the cases against her varied, sources added.

They said that the government can move forward on a case-to-case basis, and it would also not be possible to fix a cut-off date for offering her amnesty.

"Except the uniform and Article 58(2b), flexibility can be shown on other issues," the sources said, adding that Musharraf would choose the date to doff his uniform after his re-election.

"But 58(2b) will stay as a safety valve to protect the system," the Daily Times quoted sources, as saying.

Meanwhile, Deputy Information Minister Tariq Azeem said, "We expect that the dialogue would resume soon and the PML-Q had to approve any pact."

Railway Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said that it is going to be harder day by day because of hardliners from both sides.

Earlier, Bhutto said that talks with the Musharraf regime on power sharing deal had been stalled after opposition from members of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Quami), who fear being sidelined by a deal.

ANI>