Talks between aides of President Pervez Musharraf and former premier Benazir Bhutto on forming a caretaker set-up to supervise Pakistan's general elections have been stopped by the government till the Supreme Court decides on the military ruler's re-election in uniform.
The government team, led by Tariq Aziz, the secretary of the National Security Council and a close aide of Musharraf, informed the Pakistan's People Party that any decision on the interim set-up would be taken after the court's verdict which is expected by the end of the week.
The government made it clear that a verdict against Musharraf could change the entire political scenario, especially the understanding reached by the military ruler and the PPP, the influential Dawn newspaper reported quoting sources.
Senior PPP leader Makhdoom Amin Fahim, however, denied that the party was holding talks with Musharraf. The report also said the presidential aides categorically told the PPP negotiators that no action or inquiry would be initiated against the "three persons" accused by Bhutto of being involved in the October 18 suicide attack on her motorcade in Karachi that killed nearly 140 people.
Bhutto has repeatedly alleged since the blasts that three senior government officials were involved in attempts to assassinate her. She has also said that she had named the trio in a letter written to Musharraf on October 16, but refrained from publicly disclosing their identities.
Leading Pakistani newspaper The News identified the three persons as Sindh Chief Minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim, Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, who is also the cousin of PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, and Intelligence Bureau chief Brig (retired) Ijaz Shah.
The sources said Musharraf's aides had told Bhutto that the allegations levelled by her against the three personalities were based on "some misunderstanding".
The government on Tuesday also ruled out the sacking of Ijaz Shah, defending his "integrity" and highlighting his role in transforming the Intelligence Bureau into a "professional set-up".
Several names, including former foreign minister Sahibzada Yaqoob Ali
Khan, former prime minister Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi, former State Bank of Pakistan governor Ishrat Husain, and former army chief Gen Abdul Wahid Kakar figured in the discussions on candidates to head the interim government, the report said.
The PPP reportedly suggested the name of Makhdoom Amin Fahim while the government wanted Tariq Aziz to be the caretaker prime minister.
The PPP team, comprising Fahim and former Federal Investigation Agency chief Rahman Malik, later reportedly agreed to a proposal that a retired Supreme Court judge should be considered for the job.
Meanwhile, the PML-Q has decided to launch a counter-offensive against the PPP's allegations by exposing "Bhutto's double standards and getting amnesty after committing massive corruption during both her tenures as prime minister", sources in the ruling party said.
The PML-Q will resist any move to grant undue concessions to the PPP in setting up the interim government", the sources said. They added that the talks between the aides of Musharraf and Bhutto became deadlocked after PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain objected to certain terms being discussed.