By DPA
Islamabad : Hopes remain for a positive outcome to power-sharing talks between Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and exiled opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, despite the breakdown of months of negotiations, a senior cabinet minister said Sunday.
“We think the dialogue will continue and we will try to come to a conclusion that will ensure political continuity,” Information Minister Mohammed Ali Durrani said in Islamabad.
Former prime minister Bhutto said in London Saturday that the sides had failed to reach an agreement that would add her support for Musharraf’s planned re-election by parliament.
In return, she is seeking amendments to the constitution that will limit presidential powers over the parliament and the office of prime minister.
The ex-premier also wants the law changed to allow her to hold the post for a third time, although the Musharraf-loyal Pakistan Muslim League ruling party has said it will not back the demand.
Bhutto served twice between 1988 and 1996 and went into self-imposed exile in 1999 to avoid potential prosecution on corruption charges.
Musharraf, an army general who seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999, is also being pressured by Bhutto to step down as military chief before he seeks a further five-year mandate this month or in October.
In a sign that the door remains open for agreement, Bhutto refrained from directly blaming Musharraf for the breakdown of the talks and said that pro-Taliban elements within the PML-Q had impeded efforts.
While both sides had said last week that a deal was “80 percent” finalized, the extent of the “wish list” of the opposition leader obstructed full agreement, Durrani said.
There were several problems still to be resolved, he added.
Meanwhile, the Oxford-educated opposition leader said she would return to Pakistan in the coming weeks with or without a deal.
Bhutto is due to announce the date and place of her arrival on Sep 14, four days after another exiled former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, has pledged to come home after seven years in exile.