KARACHI, Nov 6: Pakistan People’s Party Chairperson Benazir Bhutto has ruled out a meeting with General Pervez Musharraf during her stay in the federal capital.

While talking to newsmen at the Jinnah International Terminal before boarding a flight for Islamabad along with her senior party leaders on Tuesday afternoon, she ruled out any such possibility when she was asked if she would negotiate to join a caretaker government.

Ms Bhutto is scheduled to chair a meeting of the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy on Wednesday and PPP Central Executive Committee and Federal Council’s meeting on Thursday to evolve a joint strategy for the struggle along with the ARD components and other like-minded parties against the recent imposition of emergency rule and suspension of the Constitution.

PPP central leaders Makhdoom Amin Faheem, Naheed Khan, Safdar Abbasi and security adviser Rehman Malik accompanied her to Islamabad. Raza Rabbani, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Nisar Khuhro, Aftab Shaban Mirani, Dr Fehmida Mirza, Nafees Siddiqui, Waqar Mehdi and Rashid Rabbani will leave for Islamabad on Wednesday to attend the party meeting.

Ms Bhutto said the PPP’s objective was to wage a struggle for the revival of the constitution, holding of free and fair elections under a neutral interim set-up. She said that she had also discussed with the ARD and like-minded parties to force General Pervez Musharraf to doff uniform.

She said she had discussed it with her friends and aides and had also talked to PML (N) central leader Ishaq Dar to convey her message to Mian Nawaz Sharif. Besides, PPP central leader Raza Rabbani was engaged in dialogue with all the political parties to forge a united platform for peaceful political resolution of the present crisis, she added.

Following the imposition of emergency in the country, the issue of Ms Bhutto’s previously announced public meeting at Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi on Nov 9 was being fiercely debated. Sources in the party said the government had allowed the PPP to hold a public meeting in Liaquat Bagh on Nov 9, which would be her first public address in 11 years.

Replying to a query, she said in the Charter of Democracy, which was signed by the PPP and the PML(N), it was agreed that whoever became the prime minister of the country for another term would support the other to strengthen civilian rule in Pakistan.

The PPP chairperson said that twin blasts that hit the PPP rally on Oct 18 was not a suicide attack, but a planted remote-control bomb blast. She said the extremists were taking advantage of the turmoil in the country.

Crackdown slammed

Sindh PPP Information Secretary Dr Fehmida Mirza, meanwhile, condemned the countrywide crackdown and arrests of 1,500 political activists, members of civil society, lawyers, presidents of different bars and journalists.

Denouncing the promulgation of the Provisional Constitutional Order, she said that the people of Pakistan had rejected this unconstitutional order and would never accept the extension of the current government for another year. She said the government should accept the demands given by the PPP to immediately restore the constitution, doff military uniform, and hold elections under the neutral interim set-up.

By imposing emergency, the government had documented its failure in running the affairs of the state, she said, and demanded impartial elections as scheduled.

She demanded an immediate release of all political and rights activists, including the chairperson of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan Asma Jehangir, bar presidents, lawyers and journalists, and a removal of restrictions on the media.

The PPP leader also lashed out at Station House Officer of the Bahadurabad police station and accused him of delaying the registration of FIR on the Oct 18 carnage despite the order given by District and Sessions Judge, East, Agha Rafiq Ahmed.