Benazir's party may work with Musharraf

Pakistani former premier Nawaz Sharif (C) waves to his supporters during an election rally on the outskirts of Islamabad yesterday. Pakistan's general election is due on February 18 after it was postponed by nearly six weeks because of widespread riots over opposition leader Benazir Bhutto's killing at a political rally on December 27 that threw the nation into turmoil. Photo: AFP

Benazir Bhutto's political party said yesterday it may work with Pakistan's president after elections next month despite the leader's apparent unpopularity and allegations elements within his government may have played a role in her death.
The comments highlight the fluid nature of Pakistani politics ahead of the polls, which the United States and other Western nations hope will usher in a period of stability as the country battles rising attacks by al-Qaeda and Taliban militants.
Benazir's party and the other main opposition grouping have intensified their calls for President Pervez Musharraf to resign since Benazir Bhutto was assassinated on Dec. 27.
But a spokesman for Benazir's Pakistan Peoples Party said "all options are open" when asked whether it would cooperate with Musharraf.
"These are bridges which we will cross when they come," Farhatullah Babar said, echoing remarks reported in Pakistani media by Benazir's husband, Asif Ali Zardari, now the de-facto head of the party.
Many analysts predict any cooperation between Musharraf and Benazir's party would be short-lived and unstable, given likely opposition by the group's rank and file. But it would represent a matchup of secular, moderate forces and, as such, could be welcomed by the United States and other Western nations.
Benazir's party and the other major opposition grouping are expected to do well in the Feb. 18 parliamentary polls, but few analysts expect a single party will gain a majority. Opposition parties holding more than two-thirds of the seats can impeach the president, but this outcome is also seen as unlikely.
Meanwhile, six British detectives left Pakistan bound for London Monday with evidence collected from their investigation into the assassination of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, an official said.
The senior interior ministry official said four other members of the Scotland Yard team would stay in Pakistan where they are helping police investigate the December 27 killing of the populist leader.