TORONTO, Nov 17: Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has urged President Pervez Musharraf to broaden his political base as his government struggles to justify the US campaign against Taliban in the face of hard-line Muslim opposition.

She praised Musharraf for showing “a lot of nerves” by sidelining powerful figures in the regime who were sympathetic to the Taliban, but told NBC she hopes his government “will now try to broaden its political base by co-opting the democratic parties in an interim government.”

Meanwhile, Ms Bhutto on Friday wrote a lengthy article in the Globe and Mail, one of the leading newspapers of Canada and said that in the national interest, Gen Musharraf should hold fair and free elections and hand over power to the elected representatives.

“Gen Musharraf,” she wrote, “has yet to seize the window of opportunity, even as it begins to close as the country heads toward the general election date mandated by the Supreme Court for October, 2002. Even as he talks of the need for a broad-based government in Afghanistan, he ignores joint opposition calls to form an interim government in Pakistan.”

Benazir pointed out that Gen Musharraf, when asked recently whether he would run for president, replied that he would remain the president and “only the legalities have to be worked out.” This startling revelation, she said, “raises concern that the oft-promised return to democracy is little more than a fig-leaf for a continuation of military dictatorship.”

According to Ms Bhutto, the stability of Pakistan is critical to the stability of South Asia, as well as the Muslim world. “In my view, that stability is rooted in a return to a truly representative democratic order.”

Ms Bhutto disclosed that her party “is in negotiation with Gen Musharraf to facilitate an exit strategy for the military. There is still a large gulf between the two sides, even though some confidence-building steps have been taken. We hope that Gen Musharraf’s regime has the vision to conciliate rather than confront the moderate political forces even as the extremists take to the streets.”

Benazir observed: “Gen Musharraf now stands at the crossroads, as does my nation. He signalled a purging of the military and intelligence apparatus with the removal of hard-line generals identified with pro-Taliban elements. He aligned Pakistan with the forces of freedom that emerged to stand against terrorism. As a result, the United States lifted sanctions, pledged a significant economic assistance package, and agreed to substantial debt retirement to give the Pakistani economy room to breathe and grow.

“If Gen Pervez Musharraf chooses the path of Zia ul-Haq, the political situation in Pakistan could quickly degenerate into a fundamentalist revolution. Not only would this empower terrorism and extremism in the world, but Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal could be compromised. But if Gen Musharraf nurtures a return to democracy in Pakistan, he could win the support of the new parliament and the people as a different dictator.”