KARACHI, Jan 16: A central leader of Pakistan Peoples Party has vowed to put up ‘stiff resistance’ if General Musharraf tries to re-elect himself as the president from the present assemblies.

Without elaborating on the form of ‘stiff resistance’, PPP central Information Secretary Sherry Rehman categorically denied having any deal with the present regime and said that the party did not believe on any deal and never wanted to come in power through a deal.

Flanked by provincial Information Secretary Dr Fahmida Mirza, the PPP leader told a press conference here on Tuesday that PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto would return to the country before the next election and did not need any ‘green signal’ for her return. “Benazir Bhutto will be the prime-ministerial candidate in the upcoming election,” she declared.

She said Benazir Bhutto would face each and everything (including cases pending before courts of law) upon her return, as she enjoyed support of the masses.

Regarding participation in the conference being convened by the PML-N in London, Ms Rehman said the decision in this regard would be taken at the party’s central executive committee meeting to be held on January 20 in Islamabad.

Earlier, Dr Fahmida Mirza presided over a meeting of all information secretaries of the party in Sindh. The meeting through a unanimously passed resolution condemned forced removal and pre-mature retirement of thousands of employees of Habib Bank, Muslim Commercial Bank, PTCL, PIA and others in the name of rightsizing and demanded immediate restoration of their jobs.