DUBAI, Aug 1: The People’s Party chairperson on Wednesday said she had reached an understanding with President Pervez Musharraf not for personal gains, but to facilitate a transition to democracy and ensure a level playing field for all political parties.

“If I wanted to do a deal to safeguard my own interest, I could have done it a long time ago. This is to facilitate a transition to democracy, a free and fair election and level playing field for all political parties,” Benazir Bhutto said in an interview with the Gulf News.

However, the PPP chief refused to confirm or deny that she had met Gen Musharraf in Abu Dhabi.

Speaking from London, where she is holding talks with senior PPP members on allocation of tickets for general elections, she said: “I am not confirming that a meeting took place or that a deal has been struck. But I can confirm that we have been engaged in negotiations, that we have been talking to the military regime for some time now.”

When asked whether she had begun negotiations with President Musharraf so that she could return to Pakistan without fear of arrest over corruption cases, Ms Bhutto said: “Of course I want to return to Pakistan. Of course I want politically motivated cases against me to be dropped.”

“But if I wanted to do a deal with the military I could have done that a long time ago. I could have accepted the LFO (Legal Framework Order).”—PPI