Deal or No Deal !

The game is on,waiting for the results to come!


The details of what went right and what went wrong at the still-to-be-officially-confirmed Musharraf-Benazir meeting in Abu Dhabi on Friday are being kept under such tight wraps that even some of the leading British newspapers, with all their resourcefulness notwithstanding, seem to have been forced to indulge in pure speculation with each of them reaching a different conclusion.

The Sunday Telegraph says that under the power-sharing deal struck by Benazir, Gen Musharraf would step down as the army chief but would be able to retain the presidency while Ms Bhutto would be permitted to return home to seek a third term for the slot of prime minister.

The Sunday Times, however, said the talks deadlocked because Gen Musharraf had refused to give up his army job in the bargain.The Sunday Observer perhaps for want of any concrete information did not even refer to the meeting, but said: “Some see him (Musharraf) as a reformer and the West’s ally, but others believe he’s a dictator who secretly supports Taliban. After bloody violence at a mosque in the centre of Islamabad, riots in Karachi, a slap administered by Pakistan’s courts after a clumsy bid to get rid of the nation’s judge, approaching elections and a string of failed assassination attempts, the 63-year-old career soldier and president is looking more fragile than a long time.”

The Sunday Telegraph story appears to be rather more rounded as after having talked about the points of agreements between the two it has also gone on to the issues on which Benazir and Musharraf did not agree.

The newspaper said the two still remained divided on who should hold the post of interim prime minister. Benazir is said to have suggested the name of Nasir Chattha, former speaker of National Assembly, while Musharraf wants to give the job to Iftikhar Shah, Pakistan’s ambassador to Turkey.

The paper said two ministers, Shiekh Rashid and Sher Afgan, confirmed the Abu Dhabi meeting with the former describing it as ‘successful’ and the latter saying that the two sides were able to overcome most of the stumbling blocks.

Sunday Times said he (Musharraf) had what the Pakistani media described as a secret summit in Abu Dhabi with Benazir Bhutto.

The exiled former prime minister is said to be central to American plans, supported by Britain, for shoring up Musharraf as a bulwark in the war on terror.

“The proposal is that, together, Bhutto and Musharraf would be able to establish a governing coalition that would isolate the extremists after elections due in November. They are reported to disagree, however, over Musharraf’s desire to remain both president and head of the army.

“Mutual distrust has surrounded contacts with Bhutto, and a deal remains fraught with problems, though both share a vision of turning Pakistan into a moderate, progressive nation.

“Living in self-exile, Bhutto has seen her bargaining position strengthen as Musharraf’s grip on power weakens. While he would be ready to give her Pakistan People’s party (PPP) a share of power, he would prefer the strong-willed Bhutto to stay on the sidelines, according to government sources.

“It may already be too late for a political settlement. Musharraf is trapped between the demands of his foreign patrons and the suicide bombs of his domestic enemies. He is given few chances in what appears to be the endgame of his eight-year benign dictatorship".

Source:Dawn newspaper.