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Journalism of Courage
Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has advised former premiers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif to consult their “legal advisers” before they return from their exile, hinting at their exclusion from the general election due this year.
“Bhutto, currently in self-exile abroad, has several cases pending against her because of which she cannot participate in the elections,” Aziz said in an interview to CNN.
Aziz asked both Bhutto and Sharif to consult their legal advisers before returning to Pakistan to participate in the next elections.
His comments followed Bhutto’s recent assertions that it may be difficult for her to reach an understanding with President Pervez Musharraf following the eruption of the judicial crisis after the suspension of Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar M Chaudhry.
Bhutto said this in several interviews of late after 42 people were killed on May 12 in the violence that took place in Karachi where Chaudhry was scheduled to address a convention of lawyers.
Aziz said that despite the absence of their leaders, Bhutto’s Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) were participating in every political activity and remained “an active part of the Opposition in parliament.”
Aziz refused to comment on Chaudhry’s suspension calling it “sub-judice”.
