ISLAMABAD, Nov 7: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif urged the West on Wednesday to abandon the country’s military ruler, President Gen Pervez Musharraf. He told The Associated Press that Pakistan was heading deeper into chaos and his arch enemy had outlived his usefulness in fighting terrorism. Mr Sharif also ruled out teaming up with Benazir Bhutto unless she cut off talks with Gen Musharraf.

“One man is holding the entire nation hostage for his personal interests,” he said.

“The political forces, the lawyers and civil community that believe in moderation and democracy, they are sidelined today. Who is going to get the benefit? It will be the radicals and extremists, they will thrive now,” Mr Sharif said in a telephone interview from Saudi Arabia.

“Mr Musharraf is a man who has outlived his utility in terms of fighting any battle against terror.”

Mr Sharif said thousands of his party members had been rounded up in the past four days.

He urged the public to protest against President Musharraf, and predicted that unless the state of emergency was reversed and the general ousted, the country could be pitched toward ‘catastrophe’.

“Even the ruling junta today does not know how to get out of this situation they have got into,” he said.

“If he (Musharraf) still continues to cling onto power, then of course people will not keep watching the situation in their homes and remain silent spectators, they will come on the streets. I see that large numbers will come onto the streets in the coming days,” the former prime minister said.

He said he did not support cutting even military assistance to Pakistan, but said the West should “dissociate themselves” from Gen Musharraf.

He urged Ms Bhutto to do the same. “I would still be very willing to work with her provided she now abandons all her plans to go along with Musharraf because he’s a dictator and the man responsible for the present crisis.”—AP