Benazir Bhutto said Sunday that President Pervez Musharraf's declaration of emergency rule would encourage extremists but refused to rule out power-sharing talks with him. "People say I had a deal but in fact I had a negotiation with General Musharraf for the holding of free, fair and impartial elections," Bhutto told the BBC.
Asked if she now felt cheated, she said: "I feel that maybe it was a decoy plan but it's still too early to say and it all depends on whether General Musharraf restores the constitution immediately and forms an independent election commission for the holding of fair, free and impartial elections."
Asked specifically if she now rules out sharing power with Musharraf or working with him in government, she added: "I have always maintained that I want democracy and I want the people of Pakistan to choose their own leaders. "Certainly, General Musharraf and I have had a very rocky relationship, even during the process of negotiation." "I have come back to encourage my people and to consult party colleagues on future course of action. Free and fair elections should be held on time, but this cannot be expected in a dictatorship."
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