Former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif said on Wednesday they were deeply worried over the present judicial crisis and accused Western leaders of hypocrisy in tolerating "military dictatorship" in Pakistan.
Talking to newsmen after two-hour meeting in London, Benazir and Nawaz Sharif said a judicial crisis in Pakistan has cast doubt on promised elections in the country, where President Pervez Musharraf seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999.
They pointed out that while Nato troops in Afghanistan were being killed in the fight to restore democracy, Britain and the United States among others winked at Musharraf's assault on the institutions of their country.
"If democracy must be defended in Afghanistan, then democracy in Pakistan must be defended, too," Benazir told reporters. "It is important for the international community to stop turning a blind eye."
"We have some very serious constitutional issues coming up - whether the president can be re-elected, whether he can also be the chief of army staff and whether former prime ministers can return," Benazir said. "Many people believe that the chief justice of Pakistan was forcibly removed because he could not be relied upon to rubber stamp the desires of the current regime."
Nawaz said "we have jointly decided to struggle against this military dictatorship and do everything within our means to stop the brutalities committed by the present government against institutions in Pakistan." Both the exiled leaders said it was vital to restore democracy as soon as possible in Pakistan, where they said the Taliban was regrouping in tribal areas and putting the security of the entire country in jeopardy.
Musharraf is a close US ally in fighting terrorism and US officials say they have been pushing hard for him to work toward a democratic transition. "As long as he heading in that direction, we will work with him," a senior US State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said on Wednesday.
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