Aitzaz Ahsan: U.S. Silent About Ousted Judge in Pakistan

Originally posted at blog.simplejustice.us on below link...
Aitzaz Ahsan: U.S. Silent About Ousted Judge in Pakistan

Posted by SHG at 7/3/2008 5:36 AM and is filed under uncategorized

At the request of the New York City Bar, I announced the relatively impromptu talk by Aitzaz Ahsan, leader of the Pakistani lawyers revolt stemming from the ouster of the Chief Justice of their Supreme Court. I figure the least I could do is close the loop.While lawyers around the country protested for a day after Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf put an end to the rule of law in our ally, most of us went back to work afterward and didn't give it a second thought. After all, it's so much more interesting to talk about going to war for "freedom" than getting one's hands dirty in the actual nitty-gritty of it, especially when it's our own ally who's taking it away, America's silence.This was Ahsan's point, as related in this New York Lawyers Article.

In a breakfast talk yesterday at the New York City Bar Association, Aitzaz Ahsan, the president of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan, criticized the White House for not speaking "a word, a syllable" to protest the five-month house arrest of Pakistan's chief justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. Mr. Ahsan said the administration had been silent because it "does not want to embarrass" Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. Mr. Ahsan added that the silence is "noticed in Pakistan" and is "a tragedy in the larger context and canvas of Pakistan's place in the world."Without the reinstatement of the ousted judges and the return of the rule of law, Mr. Ahsan said, the "broad masses" in Pakistan are without "enforceable rights."In that environment, he asserted, "extremists will encroach upon the middle ground," leaving as vulnerable a front-line state in the war against terror.

Kinda makes you feel all warm and fuzzy about the loss of American lives so far away for the cause of freedom.Ahsan said that the lawyers of Pakistan recognized the protests by American lawyers and appreciated their efforts.

To keep up the pressure to reinstate the judges, Mr. Ahsan told the 120 lawyers who attended yesterday's 70-minute session that lawyer groups in Pakistan are calling for an international convention in September.He said he hoped "distinguished attorneys" from around the world and the "elected representatives" of bar associations would attend to hear first-hand accounts of Chief Justice Chaudhry and other ousted judges.
This is the flat world of the law, and while we espouse civil rights and freedoms for ourselves, will we care as much when it's about it in Pakistan? Bear in mind, there may come a day when we need the favor returned.

Interesting facts about Emergency 2007

Facts documenting political developments starting on November 3, 2007 and the social, economic, and other ramifications compiled at wikia in the link below.

2007 State of Emergency in Pakistan

Zardari wants Musharraf to remain in office

Expert Peninsula On-line, Qatar

Source ::: Internews
LONDON • It is not the US but Asif Ali Zardari who wants to see President Pervez Musharraf continue in his office and Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry remains out of his, an analyst has said.

Fareed Zakaria, editor of ‘Newsweek International’, while participating in a wide-ranging discussion stated this after he had introduced his new book, ‘The Post-American World’ at the Foreign Press Association here.

He was asked why the US was blocking the restoration of the illegally deposed judiciary and hindering the new coalition government’s efforts to send President Musharraf home.
Answering the first part of the query, he said: “It is because the US believes the only stability outside the military in Pakistan today is the PPP and Zardari has told them he does not want the restoration of judiciary.”

And Zakaria’s response to the second part of the query was: “I don’t think the US cares one way or the other about Musharraf because army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani is somebody it trusts. But the thing is Zardari says the whole structure will collapse if Musharraf went and there would be chaos and you know it could be for very self-interest reasons.”

He said personally he would like to see the chief justice and the 60 judges restored and he thought Musharraf should have receded on his own rather than forced to give up his uniform and other powers.

“As often happens with dictators, General Musharraf at some point stopped being liberal and modernising and engaged in power grab,” he said. In his opinion, Musharraf should not have imposed emergency, he should not have fired the judges, and he should not have replaced the Supreme Court.

Giving his views on the shape of things to come in South Asia in what he called the post-American world, he said he saw a huge shift taking place in the US which was fundamentally to view the region as a much important part of its overall geopolitical strategy. “And that is exactly because of China. The rise of China has suddenly made South Asia a crucial player.”

He thought India and Pakistan needed an interlocutor, a go-between to mediate between them because they did not trust each other and in his opinion the US was in the best position to play that role. “Though at present India does not trust the US and believes it is still tilted towards Pakistan.”

“If you could manage to ease up between India and Pakistan to the point that they could simply trade with one another, it would transform South Asia, transform Pakistan which today is locked out of this huge economy right next door,” he said.

The analyst said for this to happen, the US needs to play the role of honest broker, but that it could hope to do only if it developed good relations with India. “I am not predicting that it would happen, but what I am saying is it is happy scenario for South Asia.”

Source: Zardari wants Musharraf to remain in office: Expert - Peninsula On-line

Rumours of Musharraf's arrest.

There are rumours that Musharraf has been escorted and arrested by Ministry of Defence (MOD) there is no way to confirm this since the Media channels have been shut down by Musharraf...

The More things change the more they remain the same.

Once again the circle of life has come back 360 degrees to the point of Marshall Law/State of Emergency. It used to be every 20 or so years 1958, 1978, 1998 but this time it has come around rather quick for the comfort of the politicians in 2007, even though it ever went away since 1998.

Musharraf is expected to Address the nation tonight even though, no official reason has been given so far. The Western media (CNN later reported that Marshall Law has declared) is again quick to give it a terrorrism related spin which they later took off their sites and and now is speculating about the Concerns of 'Lawlessness and and political instability' but we know fully well that it's an old trick out of one of his infamous hats to extend his own Rule. The Chief justice has aparently been arrested and the media suspended.

Ah.... what else is new... seems like Pakistan has a way of digging themselves a hole time and again. It;s throughly depressing to see this happen specially with a figure head who has time and again denied such intentions.This jsut goes to show how easy it is to use the military muscle and use it to your advantage when a military ruler is in power... A democratic government would have had to go through major hurdles to impose anything like this. All a dictator has to do is ask his troops to move in and take control of everything.

Then again it's not all that depressing knowing Pakistan's history.. knowing fully well that more the things change, more they remain the same. Pakistan has seen this far too often and the life has still continued. People here have found a way to disconnect themselves from the political drama and carry on with their normal lives... Sure, every slightest political move is discussed in details on every corner of every street, cafe, barber's, taxis, work and any other imaginable place where 2 people can congrigate ( as it's bound to happen tonight as Kamal Haider, the reporter for Al-Jazeera describes it a s a 'black day')but... It seems that people are unflatered by all these going ons... after all who would want to raise a voice infront of a man with a gun????

Beyond the Attacks

Riddle is certianly the right word to define Pakistan's political circumstances - as suggested by Jayshree Bajoria in her article in Council on Foreign relations website. Pakistan has the most diverse group of situations all jumbled into absolute caos. It's hard to believe that the country is still able to function with all these shortcomings and with the presence of many potentially dangerous elements that could spin the situation out of control at any given moment.

The existance of anti west, stubborn groups that are willing to go violent is hard enough for western powers to swollow. Add to it, the existance of neuclear capability of any sort alongwith corrupt admisitration, makes any western leader shiver in their dreams.

And if that's not enough, there's political instability in shape of corrupt political parties who have all had some share of power at least once and will do anything to get it back - hostile neighbours (not just India) that would take any oppertunity to undermine whatever stability pakistan does have - Military dictatorship, that west seems to have come into terms with but thinks it's not bearing fruits any more - and the world renowned secret services that are out of control.

More recently an independent private digital media and rejuvinated judiciary and Courts0 have also entered the mix to make it even more complicated and out of control.

Even though most western newspapers and magazines focus on the War on Terror and any violent attempt is attributed to the Islamists, Taliban or Al-Qaeda (NewsWeek)- like Attacks on Benazir Bhutto (BBC News) that clearly have footprints of internal power struggle than Al-Qaeda. Benazir also endorsed this in her letter to President naming people that are either part of the government, had a hand in setting up corruption cases against her, or the ex-ISI cheif who she's had a personal vandetta with for a while. Even though the war on terror has a very little direct impact internally yet it does have indirect implications. In the war on terror general public opinion inclines more towards anti western sentiment for supposedly dragging pakistan into this war by indirect threats than the sympathy towards western need to engage in this war.

Aftermath of Benazir Attacks

'US contingency plan for Pak needed' (Times of India)
The US government should prepare a 'contingency plan' for Pakistan in case Pervez Musharraf regime falls because of presence of nuclear weapons, a top opposition lawmaker has said...

Pakistani politics gets dirty after Bhutto attack (Reuters)
KARACHI (Reuters) - Bad blood between Benazir Bhutto and President Pervez Musharraf's allies in Pakistan bubbled to the surface on Tuesday, after an attack on the opposition leader that killed 139 people four days earlier.

Female suicide squad threatens to attack Bhutto (Times of India)
Farooq Naik, a senior lawyer, said that the chairperson of the Pakistan People's Party had received a letter purportedly written by the leader of a female suicide squad...

Pakistan considers procession ban (Al-Jazeera)
Plan comes as a minister rejects Bhutto's demand for foreign help in attack probe...

Benazir mulls ''virtual'' rallies (The News Pakistan)
WASHINGTON: Former Pakistan premier Benazir Bhutto said Tuesday she is considering "virtual" mass rallies and campaigning via phone to avoid mass viol...

Oct 19th - Bomb in Karachi

126 dead as blasts hit near former PM Bhutto in Pakistan (Jerusalem Post)
Suicide bombing hurts hundreds as crowd welcomes the former premier after eight years in exile; Bhutto remains unhurt...

Bombs Target Bhutto Procession in Pakistan (Wall Street Journal)
Bhutto was targeted by twin bombings that killed up to 126 in Karachi. The former premier, who wasn't injured, returned to Pakistan earlier in the day after an eight-year exile...

India condemns attack on Bhutto in Pakistan (The News Pakistan)
NEW DELHI: India condemned on Friday the bloody attack that targeted former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in Karachi and urged determined ac...

SC adjourns Musharraf re-election case till Monday (The News Pakistan)
ISLAMABAD: An 11-member bench of the Supreme Court hearing petitions against the legality of president General Pervez Musharraf’s October 6 election w...

President orders for report on blasts within 48 hours
RAWALPINDI: President General Pervez Musharraf has issued directives to intelligence agencies for submitting report on Karachi bomb blasts within 48 h...

Thur-Oct 11th ki Khabrein

Bhutto sticks to Pakistan return (Al-Jazeera)
The former prime minister rejects a call by Pervez Musharraf to delay her return. Benazir Bhutto, a former prime minister of Pakistan, is set to return to the country next week despite Pervez Musharraf, the president, calling for her to wait until the legality of his re-election is decided...

India PM meets IAEA head as nuclear deal clock ticks (Reuters)
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog head, Mohamed ElBaradei, made a strong pitch for the India-U.S. nuclear deal on Wednesday saying it was essential for India's economic growth, despite concerns a domestic row could scupper the pact...

Musharraf tells Benazir to delay return (The Hindu)
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has asked former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto to delay her return to Pakistan from a self-imposed exile till the Supreme Court decides on petitions challenging his re-election...

Thousands protest Western-style stores in India (Reuters)
MUMBAI (Reuters) - More than 20,000 traders, farmers and shopkeepers protested on Wednesday against the entry of private retail giants like Wal-Mart into India which they say would destroy millions of livelihoods...

US to continue cooperation with Pakistan: Townsend (The News Pakistan)
WASHINGTON: The White House reiterated that Pakistan''s president, Pervez Musharraf, had been a helpful ally in fighting terrorism and Pakistan offered...

Benazir, Zardari, Sherpao file petitions for withdrawal of references (The News Pakistan)
ISLAMABAD: Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, her spouse Asif Ali Zardari and federal minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao have filed petitions in Acc...

Aaj ki Khabrein

US, Russia dominate arms sales to developing countries (Jerusalem Post)
According US congressional report, military rivals Pakistan and India top the list as buyers, followed by Saudi Arabia and Venezuela...

Bhutto amnesty signed by Musharraf (Al-Jazeera)
Pakistan's president grants amnesty for former leader, boosting power-sharing deal...

Pakistan awaits court ruling on vote, Bhutto deal (Reuters)
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's Supreme Court is expected to rule on Friday on whether to suspend an election President Pervez Musharraf is set to win, just as he closes in on a power-sharing deal with former prime minister Benazir Bhutto...

Musharraf, Bhutto Strike Accord (Wall Street Journal)
Musharraf and Bhutto struck a tentative deal designed to allow the old foes to shepherd Pakistan from military rule to civilian government amid political tensions and militant violence...

'Army has no role in politics' (Times Of India)
The military ruler, who came to power 8 years ago in a bloodless coup by ousting former PM Nawaz Sharif, is seeking a second term in the October 6 presidential poll...

Hearing of petitions challenging Musharraf’s nomination completed (The News Pakistan)
ISLAMABAD: A 10-member larger bench of the Supreme Court completed hearing of the constitutional petitions Friday, challenging validation of General Musharraf...

Pak prez polls: SC gives go ahead (Times Of India)
Pakistan's Supreme Court has ruled that the weekend elections expected to extend President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's eight-year rule can proceed as planned...

Aaj Ki Khabrein

Pakistan's Bhutto optimistic about Musharraf deal ( Reuters)
LONDON (Reuters) - Pakistan's former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto said on Thursday she was optimistic that a political deal could be reached with President Pervez Musharraf, but had yet to hammer out a conclusive text.

Iran has right to pursue peaceful nuclear program: India (The News, Pakistan)
NEW DELHI: India has said that Iran has right to pursue a civilian nuclear programme for peaceful purposes. Maintaining that India has the best

Pak power-sharing talks in final stage (Times Of India)
The statement by Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, a minister close to President Musharraf, came as Bhutto said in London that the government is about to issue an amnesty.

Musharraf admits ISI's role in politics (Times Of India)
The Pakistan president has said that the military and intelligence set-up should have no political role so as to allow an impartial and transparent general election.

Aaj ki Khabrein...

Talks with Musharraf totally stalled, says Bhutto
The former Pakistani premier dismissed the amnesty offer over corruption cases and termed it a disinformation campaign...

Musharraf may share power with Bhutto: Report
A media report quoted a Cabinet minister as saying that Musharraf will not hesitate to share power with Bhutto, if she gains enough seats to be part of a government...

Pakistan's Bhutto says talks with Musharraf stalled
LONDON (Reuters) - Talks with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf aimed a reaching a power-sharing deal have...

Benazir has a place in future political set-up in Pak.: Rice
WASHINGTON: Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto does hold a position in the evolving situation in Pakistan but the people would have to determine when...

Musharraf’s candidature: SC issues notices to parties
ISLAMABAD: A larger bench of Supreme Court Wednesday issued notices to the parties and Attorney General during hearing of three constitutional petitio...

Musharraf says to doff uniform by Nov. 15 after re-election
ISLAMABAD: President Pervez Musharraf has said he will doff military uniform till Nov. 15 after getting re-elected on October 06. The president...

Daily News

Former ISI chief to succeed Musharraf as Army chief
ISLAMABAD: The former head of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence, Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, will succeed President Pervez Musharraf as Army chief, a military statement said, but gave no date for the succession. Promoted to the rank ...

Bhutto not to be prosecuted for corruption
Pakistan government's move to grant an amnesty from prosecution to the former premier, satisfied one of her key demands for a power-sharing deal with Musharraf.

Pakistan to Throw Out Bhutto Charges
Musharraf named a trusted ally to take over as head of Pakistan's army, and began steps toward giving Bhutto amnesty on corruption charges, in moves aimed at cementing his power should he be re-elected president Saturday.

Sharif exiled to Saudia -- Again

In a dramatic turn of events in the Pakistan’s volatile political scene, Pakistan’s Military government lead by General Musharraf, resorted to power tactics to throw Nawaz Sharif, the last democratically elected Premier into his second exile, back to Saudi Arabia. The government/ Musharraf argues that there was a deal brokered by Saudi Government/ Mr. Hariri that Binds Mr. Sharif from a- Returning to Pakistan for 10 years, b- Taking part in Pakistani Politics for ten years, c- getting out of Saudi Arabia for 10 years.

The current Military backed government maintains that Nawaz Sharif is not keeping his end of the bargain that has been propagated as a DEAL that was brokered while Mr. Sharif was in jail. How much of an option did he have as a captive is not discussed in the media a whole lot.

The matters were complicated when the Supreme Court of Pakistan decided to intervene and pass a verdict allowing Mr. Sharif to come back to the country. In the process the highest court of the country dismissed the document shown by the Attorney General as ‘Not a binding agreement’ since it did not have the signatures of both parties involved.

AFP reported on his second exile, following the events unfolding at Islamabad Airport,

“In a dramatic showdown at Islamabad airport, the 57-year-old Sharif refused to hand over his passport as he came home from seven years abroad, sparking an immediate confrontation and prompting police to board his plane.
The two-time premier, ousted by close US ally Musharraf in a bloodless 1999 coup, was then arrested on corruption charges and put on a plane to the Saudi city of Jeddah four hours after he touched down.”
The PML(N) workers still consider this an ongoing struggles and all is not lost just yet in their minds. According to AFP’s report,

“Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party condemned his deportation and filed a legal challenge in the Supreme Court, saying the government was in contempt of court.
"I believe that the Saudi government has also interfered in Pakistan's internal affairs and shown disrespect to the constitution and the Supreme Court," party spokesman Siddique-ul Farooq told AFP.”

Most of the west, still sees Pakistan through the lens of Terrorism and Militancy, had their own opinion about Sharif’s second exile. For instant, Washington Post chose to run Pakistan Military’s skirmishes with the Militants in NWFP rather than the unfolding political chaos. Most of the western claims do not truly line up with their argument of supporting democracy and restoring the rights of the people, there were some statements made that seemed to be helping Sharif’s quest for returning to Pakistan. For instance EU issued a statement about adhering to the law, avoiding direct mention of Supreme Court.

On the other hand Benazir seems to be getting her way by way of US brokered deal that will see her become the new Prime Minister. How true does that statement remains, it still needs to be seen. For now she seems on course to come back and win the elections since her main Rival – Sharif- has been ousted by force once again.

"Mrs Bhutto has decided to travel to Pakistan," Bhutto's spokesman Wajid Hassan told Reuters Television in an interview. "She has planned it next month, probably. She will announce it on Sept. 14 as to the date of her arrival in Pakistan."
"She has got to go back and lead the party into the elections, to campaign for the party in the elections," Bhutto's spokesman said.
"I'm sure that there will be no compromise on it. She will go back and she will compete for the party and she will definitely win the elections."

As with all political nautanki, there sure seems to be more twist in this saga as there are too many players still on the table.

Political game on a Chess table

As Musharraf entered into talks with Benazir thinking her involvement will keep the stronger player, Nawaz, out of Power and out of Pakistan, the emboldened Supreme Court Justice Iftikhar chaudhry slammed a verdict that might make him think that he entered into negotiations with the wrong party. With the twist of fate, it seems that all of a sudden there are far more players on the political chess board than Musharraf would ever have imagined before March 9th. Judiciary, empowered by Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, Media empowered by their coverage of Judicial strikes and events surrounding it which Musharraf tried to stop by passing a bill against it, Benazir whom Musharraf engaged into negotiations before the fall of events, Ameica -- Of course, due to war on terror, the hardliner Muslim right that Musharraf managed to infuriate by pressing over Red Mosque issue which resulted in many suicide bombings soon after, and Nawaz Sharif who Musharraf thought was done and dusted, is soon to come back into the political scene. With so many players vying for power it would test Musharraf's political wisdom he's conjured up in the last 8 years, to all ends.

Ever since Musharraf came into power he made it clear that there is no room for the two ex-prime ministers that have each held power twice in the country. He has been pretty adamant on not cutting them any concessions whatsoever the circumstances may be. As fate has it or should I say 'the hand of God' the current political situation in Pakistan has forced him to reconsider his options. Bitter enemies are once again being brought together albeit their dislike. There are all sorts of news and analysis in the media as to which direction the current scenario of Pakistan's political future will take .

Reuters - Allies of Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf have raised objections to a power-sharing deal he is negotiating with former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, casting fresh doubt on the future of the embattled president. But many members of Musharraf's ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML) are alarmed at the prospect of their old rival Bhutto returning from eight years of exile to take power from them. PML president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain said he had conveyed his reservations about parts of the proposed deal to Musharraf.

"We told him that there are certain things which are harmful for the country and the nation and they should be asked to review them," Hussain told Reuters on Friday, referring to Bhutto and her party and some of the demands they have been making.
Bhutto, who has been prime minister twice, wants the lifting of a ban on a person serving a third term. She also wants the president stripped of the power to dismiss governments, but Hussain said his party opposed those demands.

The New York Times analyzes the turmoil with a heading "Pakistan's Bhutto gambles on Musharraf", alleging her 'Deal' is due to the fact that she wants to come back having dropped all the corruption charges against her.

NYT: Exiled former leader Benazir Bhutto is gambling her future on a power-sharing deal with President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, hoping to revive a political dynasty.
Bhutto is urging Musharraf to step down as military chief and drop corruption charges so she can come home and compete in parliamentary elections due by January. In return, the U.S.-allied Musharraf gets to stay on for another five years as a powerful civilian president.
"For the first time in the history of Pakistan, from one end to the other end of Pakistan, there's complete unanimity: No more dictatorship," said Ghulam Mustafa Khar, a senior politician who has broken with Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party over her talks with Musharraf. "Now, Benazir stands up and says, 'Stay, Musharraf, stay!' ... That is something which is a nightmare for the people of Pakistan," he said.
Bhutto and Musharraf also argue that joining forces will strengthen Pakistan's efforts to combat extremism and prevent the kind of political chaos that could prompt another burst of martial law. "I am trying to convince (party colleagues) that the international community and the armed forces have confidence in Musharraf, and therefore we need to work out a solution" with him, she told The Washington Post recently.
Khar was a close colleague of her father, party founder Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, who was hanged on murder charges in 1979 after his ouster in an earlier military coup. By entering talks with Musharraf, Bhutto has offended the party's "long history of struggle against dictatorship," Khar said. Khar accused her of betraying her party's values by reaching out to a man who toppled Pakistan's last civilian government and has lost public support at home and abroad for recently trying to fire the country's top judge. "This is one thing that I have not even visualized or dreamt," he said.
If Bhutto fights only for her own immunity from prosecution, she will lose further credibility, said political columnist Ayaz Amir. But if she gets Musharraf out of his army post, she can claim to have broken a political deadlock. "Then the People's Party will go to town and say, 'Look here, no one else could do this, and we've done it ... We won this great victory for democracy,'" said Amir, a former lawmaker in Sharif's party now writing for the Dawn newspaper.
Sharif, poised to profit from any hiccups, says Bhutto has committed a "gross violation" of an agreement with him and other opposition parties not to talk with Musharraf. But the embrace of an army discredited by eight years of military rule could see her lose the upcoming election, said Talat Masood, a former Pakistani army general turned political analyst. "As a pillar of anti-establishment, she has become the supporter of establishment. It's a big departure in ideological terms," he said. "The die-hard support that she had received from a certain class of people all along will be seriously impaired." Masood counted himself among Bhutto's well-wishers but worried that "she has lost touch with the people in these last few years that she has been away. It's the support of the people that's important. If you get that, you are in a much more advantageous position than even having the support of the uniform," he said.

Pakistan's politics will get to see more of the same old. In an interesting twist of turns it seems that both the heads of the strongest parties that Musharraf tried so hard to keep away for 8 years seem to be coming back, not exactly as he planned.

BBC analyzed that the government is keeping all it's options open after Sharif's announcement to come back on Sep 10th, before the holy Month of Ramadan, "Pakistan's government is keeping all options open after exiled former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced plans to return next month, a minister says...Another former Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto, is demanding a response before the weekend to her terms for a power-sharing deal with Gen Musharraf...On Thursday, the US reminded Gen Musharraf of his commitment to resign his army position before contesting elections. 'We expect him to honour that commitment," said a US spokesman'."

Muhammad Ali Durrani, the Information Minister, had a different say about the whole scenario. while speaking to BBC he said, "The government is keeping all options open on Nawaz Sharif's return, If he comes back, we will make a strategy."
That may also mean that government might consider negotiating with Sharif, since he still has quite a few well wishers in Mushrraf's own PML(Q), who'd rather align with Nawaz Sharif than Benazir.

Mr Sharif seems to be playing his legal and political position wisely. Let's not forget that pre-1998 coup, he was the only politician to have come into the office in Pakitan with clear majority. He announced his return a week after Pakistan Supreme court defied the government and ruled that being a citizen of Pakistan he has a legal right to go back to his home country.Government and independent think tanks say that Mr Sharif could still face jail if he returns.
Mr Sharif reiterated that he wants to "start a decisive struggle against dictatorship", and said that it would be unfortunate if Benazir made a deal with the General. "I disagree with Ms Bhutto's current policy of shaking hands with a dictator," he said.

Chronology of Current Events

9th March: Musharraf suspends Iftikhar Chaudhry ( Chief Justice) for "abuse of power". Lawyers start their protest which will go on for a couple of months to come.
April: Protests grow larger and violent with quite a few clashes with police.
12 May: Iftikhar Chaudhry arrives in Karachi for his pre-announced/ pre-planned visit which sparks clashes between rival political parties. 34 people die and images a broadcasted live on TV.
11 July: Stand off at Red Mosque picks up pace while the Chief Justice predicament is being played out. eventually on this date 102 people die when army decides to take action against alleged militants in the mosque. Opposition/Judiciary blames the government for trying to play 'kill bill' and taking the focus away from the Chief Justice issue.
July-Aug: Sharp rise in suicide attacks by pro-Taliban militants, the reasons are liked with the Red Mosque debacle.
20 July: Supreme Court reinstates chief justice in a historic decision.
9 Aug: Musharraf rejects emergency rule after a call from Condoleeza Rice, even though the media reports that it was imminent and decided by Musharraf in a meeting.
23 Aug: Supreme Court says exiled ex-PM Nawaz Sharif can return and dismisses the evidence provided by attorney General as a legal agreement since it was only signed by Nawaz and not by any 2nd party.

Benazir Bhutto, close to a DEAL with Musharraf

Benazir Bhutto had adamently stood for the principle that she would not return to pakistan under the Military rule. She has been one of the many strong political voices against the military rule. Recently there have been talks of her making a DEAL with the military dictator, General Musharraf. It seems that she seems as desperate to take on the power regardless of the fact if she has to cut a deal with the General as much as the General is desperate to cut a deal with a popular politician.

The political game seems to be getting hot with the fact that, thanks to Judiciary, the playing field has been somewhat leveled and a long forgotten player has been allowed to enter in Pakistan. Whether that actually happens or not still remains to be seen, because the Military ruler seems adament on returing the favour on not allowing a safe landing to Nawaz. Refusal of safe landing to the General was the precise reason which helped the General use his military muscle and depose the then democratically elected prime minister.

BBC: Former Pakistani PM Benazir Bhutto says she is close to reaching a deal to share power with President Musharraf.

The embattled military ruler is seeking support for presidential elections that could give him another five-year term. But he is under pressure to reach a deal with the opposition after several Supreme Court rulings went against him.

Ms Bhutto told the BBC that most issues had been resolved, but an agreement had not been finalised. She wants a clear statement he will resign as army chief. She also wants a pledge to remove legal obstacles currently preventing her from becoming prime minister for a third time, and the removal of corruption cases against her.

Ms Bhutto was speaking to the BBC's Urdu service after weeks of mounting speculation that a deal was being worked on.

"We are still negotiating. There are so many things we have agreed upon," she said. "But it's not been finalised so I can't go into details." She said she hoped General Musharraf would make a decision to stand down as head of the army "according to the wishes of the Pakistani people". "And the people of Pakistan want him to get rid of his uniform."

Earlier, Pakistan's railways minister, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, told reporters the deal was "80% done". He said the crucial issue over Gen Musharraf's dual role as president and army chief had been resolved, but did not elaborate.

Until now Gen Musharraf has said he will abide by the constitution when it comes to the dual role. Some say this means he will take off the uniform before the end of the year, some say before presidential elections in autumn, reports the BBC's Barbara Plett in Islamabad. The crucial thing for Ms Bhutto is that he publicly announce his intentions because right now she is losing support by negotiating with the military ruler, our correspondent says.

Analysts say Ms Bhutto was alarmed by the Supreme Court's decision last week allowing the other exiled opposition leader, Nawaz Sharif, to return to Pakistan, perhaps as early as next month. Mr Sharif has gained much support for opposing army rule and vowing to force President Musharraf out of office.

It is not clear whether the military leader can accept Ms Bhutto's demands. At the moment he has enough votes in parliament to win another five-year term. But there are growing defections from the ruling party and the emboldened Supreme Court might yet rule that his re-election from existing assemblies is unconstitutional.