The Bush administration on Friday refused to publicly inject itself into the political drama unfolding in Pakistan, its key ally in the war on terror.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said this was “a matter for the Pakistanis to deal with.”

McCormack said, “We have an interest, obviously, in seeing Pakistani democracy move forward and progress. Part of that is having free, fair, and open transparent elections. We have talked to the Pakistanis about that. We’ve been very plain about that in public.”

On Friday, former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto announced she would return from self-imposed exile on October 18. Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has been engaged in discussions with President Pervez Musharraf to work out a power-sharing deal. Such an agreement would allow Musharraf to secure a fresh term as president and permit Bhutto another run for the prime ministership.

However, officials in both the Bhutto and Musharraf camps deny any such deal.

Farhatullah Babar, a PPP spokesman, said Bhutto was not looking for a “power-sharing” agreement.

“National elections are due to take place later this year, which will determine which party or parties will come into power. The question of power sharing, therefore does not arise,” he said. But, he admitted that PPP was open to dialogue with Musharraf.

In an interview with ‘Newsweek’ magazine, prior to his botched attempt to return to Pakistan from exile on Monday, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was critical of US policy toward Pakistan.

Lt General Hamid Javed, chief of staff to the President, called on Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry on Saturday in their first meeting since the March 9 meeting at Army House when President Musharraf sacked the CJ triggering a serious judicial and political crisis.

Hamid Javed discussed with the CJ the question of appointment of six additional judges in the Sindh High Court and filling vacancies in other high courts as well, SC registrar later said in a press release. He made it a point to clarify that “no other issue except appointment of judges was touched during the meeting”.

Since his reinstatement, the CJ has strictly pursued a policy not seeing any government functionary and cutting back on social contacts. Lt Gen Hamid Javed had played a key role in the presidential reference filed against the CJ.

The CJ had recused himself from the court bench hearing petitions challenging the eligibility of President Musharraf to contest election. On Saturday the petitioners submitted another request calling enlarging the bench to full court.

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairperson Benazir Bhutto's announcement that she is returning on October 18 has evoked a mixed reponse among political circles and the media.

Most political leaders, including ministers welcomed the decision but opposition leaders expressed the hope that Bhutto will return without cutting a deal with Musharraf. Some ministers said the former premier would not be deported but reminded the people that Bhutto would also have to face corruption cases in courts.

In a surprise gesture, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) not only greeted Bhutto's announcement but also offered to join her party workers in receiving her at the airport. Benazir acknowledged the gesture and noted that the MQM has many moderate leaders in it.

MQM spokesman Anwar, in particular, commended Bhutto's choice of to enter Pakistan through Karachi saying she is daughter of Sindh and has the right to return to her people.

Tehrike Insaf chief Imran Khan was intrigued by MQM's exuberance saying its reaction reinforced the view that Bhutto is returning with Gen Musharraf's blessings, who is also mentor of the MQM.

He noted that the MQM had stopped Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry from entering the city on May 12 and twice banned his own entry and hoped that Bhutto would not add to the traffic jam on Karachi roads as was contended in his case earlier this week.

Imran said all political leaders including Bhutto and another former premier Nawaz Sharif had the inalienable right to return to the country. He, however, said the contrast between the treatment meted out to Nawaz on arrival and the welcome statements in case of Bhutto are disturbing and giving rise to suspicion. Former governor of Punjab and chief of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N), Shahbaz Sharif welcomed Bhutto's decision but said it was yet to be seen whether her return was an independent move or the result of dialogue or understanding with Musharraf.

He said it would become clear in the coming days whether the PPP chairperson has cut a deal with Musharraf or not.

Shahbaz reiterated that if Bhutto succeeded in reviving the 1973 Constitution to the position of October 12, 1999, he would acclaim her. He also said Bhutto would be welcomed in the All Parties Democratic Movement if she separates herself from the dialogue process with the military dictator. Meanwhile, the United States government noted that the circumstances of return of Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif were not similar. US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said it was a matter for the Pakistanis to tackle and he was not aware of any legal barriers to Bhutto’s return. He said the US was not in the business of picking candidates but was only interested in ensuring that the elections being held are free and fair. Answering a question on whether the US would seek guarantees from Pakistan that Bhutto would not be restricted in any way, he said the US was “sure” the two cases of Sharif and Bhutto had “very different circumstances”.

Answering another question, McCormack said Pakistani authorities deported Sharif “in the context of an agreement that was said to be arrived at among the Saudi government, the Pakistani government and Sharif”. He said the legality of the deportation “centred on that particular point”.

Dubai, September 15
The head of an Al Qaida-led group in Iraq has offered a $100,000 reward for the killing of a Swedish cartoonist for his drawing of Islam’s Prophet Mohammad and threatened to attack major Swedish companies.

Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, leader of the self-styled islamic state in Iraq, also offered $50,000 to anyone who killed the editor of the newspaper that published the drawing by Lars Vilks, in an audiotape posted today on an Islamic website.

Sweden’s daily Nerikes Allehanda published the drawing, part of a series which art galleries in Sweden had declined to display, last month.

The published image depicted the head of the Prophet on the body of a dog, in what it called a defence of free speech. Muslim countries, including Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan, expressed anger over the caricature.

“'From now on, we announce the call to shed the blood of the Lars, who dared to insult our Prophet, and during this munificent month, we announce an award worth $100,000 to the person who kills this infidel criminal,” he said in the 31-minute tape. — Reuters