Musharraf, Bhutto aides talk poll plan

Aides of President Pervez Musharraf and Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader Benazir Bhutto will hold the final round of talks in the United Arab Emirates from today to "devise a strategy for the coming general elections," a media report has said.

The talks were earlier scheduled after Eid-ul-Fitr, but after Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and PML(N) President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain ruled out any truck with the PPP for the polls, the meetings were "urgently arranged in the UAE" as the leadership of Bhutto's party "expressed serious reservations," The News quoted unnamed sources as saying.

"The top PPP leadership has asked the Musharraf camp to finalise all issues and define areas of cooperation in future, especially during the general elections," a source was quoted as saying.

"The fresh round of talks is said to be the final one and the future set-up of the country's politics will be decided (during the parleys)," the report said.

Rehman Malik, a senior PPP leader and one of the beneficiaries of the National Reconciliation Ordinance promulgated on Friday by Musharraf to facilitate withdrawal of corruption charges against political leaders, will represent the party.

The report said it was not immediately clear who would represent the government. The News also quoted an unnamed senior PPP leader as saying that the party's central executive committee had given Bhutto the authority to negotiate with anyone on behalf of the party.

Meanwhile, Chief Justice Iftikhar M Chaudhry expanded the Bench hearing petitions against Musharraf's candidature in the October 6 presidential poll, which the general swept, by adding one more judge to it.

Justice Javed Buttar is the new addition to the 10-member Bench hearing the petitions filed by Wajihuddin Ahmed, a former Supreme Court judge, and PPP leader Makhdoom Amin Fahim against Musharraf's eligibility to contest without quitting the post of Army chief.

The Chief Justice also reshuffled the Bench by replacing Justice Nasirul Mulk, who will be away from Pakistan during the time the case will be heard, with Justice Chaudhry Ijaz Ahmed.

The Bench will continue to be headed by Justice Javed Iqbal.

Musharraf swept the presidential poll on October 6 that was boycotted by the opposition, but the Supreme Court ruled that the result could be officially notified till decided on the petitions opposing his candidature. The court will resume hearing the petitions from October 17.

The military ruler, who has promised to take off his uniform by November 15, has been engaged in a confrontation with the judiciary since he suspended the Chief Justice "" who was later reinstated "" in March.