Exiled former Pakistan Prime Minister and Pakistan People's Party chairperson Benazir Bhutto is likely to covertly support President's Pervez Musharraf's reelection by making her party members abstain from the process.
Bhutto is willing to support the President's reelection from the next Assembly, reports cited top Pakistan Muslim League 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"Though she is not willing to vote for the President even if all cases against her are withdrawn, she has indicated that she would covertly support the reelection by asking her party to abstain at the time of voting," they added.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 reelection.
"We have proposed the dissolution of the national assembly in case the opposition's All Parties Conference 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 reelection 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 election.
"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".