HYDERABAD, May 19: Former president Farooq Ahmed Leghari has said that Gen Pervez Musharraf can be re-elected president of the country by the existing assemblies.

He said that it was not necessary for the president to hold two offices but it would depend on circumstances.

“He can be re-elected president by parliament when he completes the tenure and can be re-elected after tendering his resignation,” he said.

“Let us wait and see what happens”, he added.

Mr Leghari was talking to journalists in Qasimabad on Friday.

The former president described the charter of democracy signed by Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif as self-serving and a publicity exercise.

He said that the two former prime ministers had trampled on basic principles of democracy and committed extra-judicial killings during their tenures.

He said that democracy was meaningless if there was no internal democracy within political parties.

He rejected statements of Ms Bhutto and Mr Sharif that they had learnt lessons from their mistakes and added that had they really learnt any lesson they would had tendered an apology to people for their loot and plunder.

“In fact both of them are strengthening their bargaining position”, he said.

Mr Leghari said that Kalabagh was an ideal location for a dam followed by Diamer-Bhasha and Akhori dams over the Indus river.

He said that dams should be of larger capacity to serve as carryover dams in case there were incessant rains or snowfall.

“Of all the provinces, Sindh needs more water because its subsoil water is brackish as compared to Punjab where farmers can depend on underground water for irrigation” he said.

He said that the government wanted to build at least four large dams.

He said that he supported President Musharraf because he had adopted some points of the Millat Party’s vision about devolution, provincial autonomy and abolition of concurrent list.

Mr Leghari urged the government to concentrate on the issues before the next general elections and called for autonomy to provinces because even in half of Punjab people felt deprived.

He said that elections could be held at the end of 2007 or in the beginning of 2008.

Our Dadu correspondent adds: Mr Leghari said that there was no substance in the charter of democracy.

He was talking to reporters at the residence of Akbar Leghari after offering condolence on the death of his brother, MPA Manzoor Leghari, in Johi on Friday.

The former president said that Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif had looted wealth of the country and purchased properties abroad.

He said that the signing of the charter was actually an act of blackmailing.

He expressed hope that Gen Musharraf would be elected again as president of Pakistan.