By DPA
Islamabad : Pakistan’s opposition leader Benazir Bhutto said Monday she had finally broken off all negotiations with President Pervez Musharraf in protest against his imposition of emergency rule, and vowed to go ahead with a scheduled march on the capital.
“We are saying no to any more talks. It is a change from my past policy,” the ex-prime minister and head of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) told reporters in Lahore on the eve of the planned demonstration.
Bhutto has for months been engaged in back channel dealings with the military leader.Tipped to serve a third term as premier in exchange for her party’s support, Bhutto returned to Pakistan last month from exile after securing an amnesty on corruption charges against her.
But relations appeared to sour with the imposition of emergency rule on Nov 3 by Musharraf, who cited the need to stem Islamic militancy as a main reason for the move. But many people believe it was to prevent the Supreme Court overturning his controversial re-election last month.
A day before she was to lead a “long march for democracy” some 300 kilometres to Islamabad from the central Punjab province, Bhutto signalled a course of confrontation with the dictator.
She vowed to defy a government ban on public gatherings of five or more people and hold the procession, unmoved by Musharraf’s announcement Sunday that parliamentary elections would be held on time and before Jan 9.
Bhutto welcomed the news of the election timeframe but warned it was not adequate to defuse the ongoing political crisis since he gave no indications when he intended to lift emergency.
Meanwhile, Pakistani journalists continued their protest against the blockage of private news channels and proposed curbs on the media. More than 200 people held a demonstration in the capital, waving black flags and chanting, “We want freedom.”