August 21, 2007	Tuesday	Sha’aban 7, 1428

NEW YORK, Aug 20: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has said that any American involvement in negotiating a power-sharing agreement between President Gen Pervez Musharraf and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto “could hurt the parties involved”.

In an interview with The New York Times, he said that any power-sharing deal would depend on the results of general elections later this year, rather than on any prior agreement.

Mr Aziz expounded: “With due respect, it is for the people of Pakistan who would decide who gets elected,” adding “naturally, what these contacts result in, in terms of the impact on elections or post-elections, is premature to say”. American officials have said the deal is a way to unite and strengthen the moderate forces in Pakistan.

The newspaper noted that “the agreement between Ms Bhutto and General

Musharraf, which has been widely reported but so far denied by both sides, envisages Ms Bhutto returning to Pakistan to contest elections and serving as prime minister under General Musharraf as president’’.

Mr Aziz said: “Friendly countries are entitled to their views and we listen to them, but at the end of the day, Pakistanis are a very proud people and they want to manage things themselves”. ‘‘These discussions are driven by local political considerations; the moment other considerations creep in, it hurts all the stakeholders”.

Mr Aziz said the government was committed to holding free and fair elections and that only pending court cases were preventing Ms Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif from returning to Pakistan to take part in elections. “There are a host of legal cases against both,” he said. “They have to consult their legal counsel and decide what is best for them, but the circumstances for each of them are driven by their legal situation”.

Mr Aziz said Ms Bhutto was free to return, but Mr Sharif had entered an understanding with the government to go abroad in return for having charges against him dropped.