LONDON, April 21: A senior aide to Pakistan’s military ruler has confirmed that Benazir Bhutto could soon return to her homeland and allow her party to join a government of national unity, The Daily Telegraph reported on Saturday.

The newspaper said the US and Britain had urged President Pervez Musharraf, who is increasingly beleaguered and unpopular, to strike a deal allowing Ms Bhutto back to Pakistan.

“We are doing what America and European countries have been telling us for the past few years: that moderate forces should unite against the forces of extremism,” the newspaper quoted the aide as saying.

The aide was further quoted as saying that under the proposed agreement, the proceedings going on in courts against Benazir Bhutto would be dropped. She would return and bring her Pakistan People’s Party into a coalition government with Gen Musharraf. In exchange, she would agree to Gen Musharraf staying in office as both president and army chief.

The newspaper, however, apprehends that a power-sharing agreement will be a gamble for both sides.

“Allowing Miss Bhutto to return would be a risky move for Gen Musharraf because she is capable of mobilising mass opposition to the military regime.

For her part, if Miss Bhutto were to enter a coalition with a general whom she has previously attacked as a dictator, she could risk alienating her supporters,” it added.

But DT feels that Gen Musharraf may have little choice but to strike a deal, “his popularity has plummeted following his sacking of the country’s most senior judge.

Despite his status as a key supporter of the “war on terrorism, Gen Musharraf’s relations with America have cooled, emboldening his critics”.