Pakistan's Bhutto tells Musharraf she'll rally against him if he doesn't back down

Pakistan's Bhutto issues Musharraf ultimatum

47 minutes ago

ISLAMABAD (AFP) - Former premier Benazir Bhutto urged Pakistanis to hold mass protests against a state of emergency declared by President Pervez Musharraf, setting up a showdown with the military ruler.

Bhutto vowed to hold a rally in the garrison town of Rawalpindi on Friday despite police threats of a crackdown, and called for a "long march" on November 13 from Lahore to the capital if Musharraf does not back down.

The two-time premier said that key US ally Musharraf must restore the constitution, announce the date of elections due in January and quit his role as chief of the powerful army by November 15.

"I appeal to the people of Pakistan to come forward. We are under attack," Bhutto told a news conference after holding talks with other opposition leaders in Islamabad.

Bhutto had previously stopped short of throwing her support behind three days of angry anti-Musharraf protests, which have been crushed by security forces, amid speculation she was angling for a power-sharing deal.

"God willing, there will be a flood of people. If I am arrested, people should continue the struggle," the 54-year-old added


http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071107/wl_sthasia_afp/pakistanpolitics


US must back rhetoric with action: Bhutto

7 Nov 2007

NEW YORK: Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has challenged the western countries, particularly the US, to "back up their democratic rhetoric with concrete action," saying President Pervez Musharraf "should be given the choice of democracy or dictatorship with isolation."

"The United States, Britain and much of the West have always said the right things about democracy in Pakistan and around the world," Bhutto in write up for The New York Times said, adding "Will they back up their democratic rhetoric with concrete action, or will they once again back down in the face of his (Musharraf's) bluff?"

General Musharraf, who imposed Emergency in Pakistan last Saturday, "should be given the choice: democracy or dictatorship with isolation," the chief of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) said.

"The United States can promote democracy....by telling General Musharraf that it does not accept martial law, and that it expects him to conduct free, fair, impartial and internationally monitored elections within 60 days under a reconstituted election commission," Bhutto said in an op-ed piece titled, 'Musharraf's Martial Plan', for The Times.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/The_United_States/US_must_back_rhetoric_with_action_Bhutto/rssarticleshow/2526245.cms