PAKISTAN: Pakistan frees Bhutto before U.S. envoy meets Musharraf

Pakistan's former prime minister Benazir Bhutto is freed from house arrest shortly before a top U.S. diplomat begins a visit to Islamabad. Pakistan freed opposition leader Benazir Bhutto from house arrest shortly before a top U.S. diplomat began a visit on Friday (November 16) aimed at persuading President Pervez Musharraf to end emergency rule. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte was due to meet Musharraf on Saturday (November 17) and was expected to push him to roll back the emergency invoked two weeks ago, release thousands of detainees and hold "free and fair" elections. In an interview with Reuters hours after her release, Bhutto said the U.S. envoy should take a firm line with Musharraf, who took control of the nuclear-armed, militant-threatened country in a coup eight years ago. Most opposition leaders were in custody, along with lawyers, opposition and rights activists. In the capital Musharraf swore in an ally as caretaker prime minister -- Senate Chairman Mohammadmian Soomro -- and a 24-member cabinet packed with Musharraf loyalists to oversee an election due by January 9 after the National Assembly completed its five-year term on Thursday (November 15). The outgoing prime minister, Shaukat Aziz, was widely credited with transforming Pakistan from a country on the brink of bankruptcy eight years ago to one of the fastest growing economies in the world. There are considerable doubts about his position in the next government. The United States had hoped army chief Musharraf and Bhutto would share power after the election but Bhutto, infuriated by the crackdown, has ruled that out. "This caretaker government is unacceptable to the political parties of Pakistan. For many of us it is an extention of the previous ruling PML-Q, which is held dent upon rigging the elections and continuing the choas. IN fact there is choas for too longer time.It starts with the dismissal of chie justice of Pakistan on March 9," she said. Musharraf says he will quit as army chief and take the oath as civilian president as soon as the Supreme Court, where judges seen as friendly to the government have been appointed, dismisses challenges against his re-election last month. The attorney general said that should happen by the end of the month.

ITN Source | November 17, 2007

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