LARKANA, Jan 22: President Gen Pervez Musharraf himself will be responsible if the United States brings to bear any pressure against Pakistan or any change in its foreign policy after attacking Iraq.

This was stated by the jailed spouse of the chairperson of the People’s Party Parliamentarian, Benazir Bhutto, Asif Ali Zardari, while talking to newsmen in Naudero, where he had gone to accept condolences for the demise of the first wife of the late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Shirin Amir Begum, on behalf of Benazir Bhutto.

Emphatically denying rumours about a deal with the government, Mr Zardari said that his release on the parole was his right, as he had to attend the Soyem of his mother-in-law Shirin Amir Begum.

He said that if he was so anxious to secure his release, he would have struck a deal with Farooq Ahmed Leghari, instead of languishing for so long in jail.

When asked to reveal the details of the deal offered by the government, Mr Zardari said that the government wanted him and Benazir Bhutto to leave the country, the party and the people, adding that this deal was always open for negotiation on part of the government.

But, he said that under no circumstances they would leave the people of Pakistan and they would never ditch the party workers.

He said that under the present circumstances, she could not return to the country as ‘Benazir-specific laws’ were being invoked and the authorities were bent upon crushing the PPP and its leaders.

Describing the present government as being a facade government, he said that it would not last long, adding that only the restoration of genuine democracy — wherein the people were free to choose popular leaders like Benazir Bhutto — was the solution to the problems faced by Pakistan.

He described his talks with the JUI-F chief, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, as being talks between two friends despite the fact that he was a political entity.