I wanted a deal aiming for democratic Pak: Bhutto

Former Pakistan premier Benazir Bhutto has refused to say whether she will still agree to a power sharing formula with embattled President Pervez Musharraf stressing that she wanted a deal with the General only for a peaceful political transfer to a democratic Pakistan.

Bhutto, in an interview on CNN's Late Edition, said it was no coincidence that she was set free shortly before the arrival of Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, who pressed for an end to state of emergency imposed by Musharraf.

She rejected criticism from some quarters of her decision to negotiate with General Musharraf and said she did it for the restoration of democracy in Pakistan.

'If General Musharraf is not responding to Washington's call to retire as chief of army staff, and Washington is giving him $10 billion, I wonder how he will be ever ready to respond to my calls for free elections. I negotiated with him for a peaceful political transfer to a democratic Pakistan. I did that to avoid the mess that we are in today,' Bhutto said.

'I came to the conclusion that he simply was not interested in giving the opposition a fair chance in the elections. And this is why we find ourselves at odds with each other,' she said.

When asked whether she would consider working with Musharraf if, even at this stage, Musharraf decided to take those steps -- give up his military uniform, allow free and fair elections and end the state of emergency, Bhutto said: 'I know where you are taking me, but I had like to just say, let us stop a moment and see whether he first responds to Washington. Let us first see whether Negroponte's visit bears fruit in terms of General Musharraf retiring as chief of army staff before the new date that he has set himself.'

'But even if he does, there are other issues. A fair election does not just happen because one says one wants a fair election. We have to see whether our election commission is reconstituted, whether the present caretaker government is reshuffled, whether the mayors who control the guns and influence elections are suspended for the duration of the election period,' Bhutto said.

The Pakistan People's Party leader said she would like to see Musharraf send a powerful message to the militants that they cannot get away with terrorist attacks on anyone, leave alone political leaders.

When asked if she was satisfied with the message that was delivered to Musharraf by Negroponte, Bhutto said: 'Yes. I believe Negroponte did the right thing in asking General Musharraf to lift the gags on the media, to release the thousands of opposition and human rights leaders, as well as to retire as chief of army staff.'

'But this nation is waiting for General Musharraf to give a date to keep -- to retire as army chief,' she added.

Bhutto also brushed aside the notion that Musharraf had done many things in the war on terror making the point that what the General has done 'was simply not enough' on account of the re-grouping of the Al Qaeda and the Taliban.

'In my view, it is the threat by the extremists that threatens today to disintegrate Pakistan. They are already into Swat Valley and soon they will spread towards Islamabad. I may have my critics, but I leave the decision of Pakistan's destiny to the people of Pakistan who want a democracy,' she added.