Musharraf-Benazir Meeting in UAE; Govt Denies
'Pakistan Times' Monitoring Desk

ABU DHABI (United Arab Emirates): A meeting between President General Pervez Musharraf and former Prime Minister Ms Benazir Bhutto is reported to have taken place here Friday, says a media report.

It is confirmed that Musharraf-Benazir meeting was held here, said a senior analyst of Geo Television Network Dr. Shahid Masood.

However, the government has denied the reports about Musharraf-Benazir meeting.

“If Musharraf-Benazir meeting has held it could be the final round of PPP-government talks and it is hoped that this meeting will have long-term positive impact on the politics of Pakistan", said Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmed.

Geo TV reports that Musharraf-Benazir meeting lasted for about for 55 minutes and it was a short a meeting though it was expected that the meeting would last for two to three hours, the private television news channel said.

Geo TV said; reports were also floating that President Musharraf may hold meeting with former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and ex-Chief Minister Punjab Shahabaz Sharif in Saudi Arabia during the second leg of his visit. However, the PML (N) sources have denied the reports of any meeting.

Altaf Reax

Chief of the MQM Altaf Hussain said that for the solidarity and sovereignty of the country the MQM will welcome the meetings of President Pervez Musharraf with Benazir Bhutto, even with Nawaz Sharif, Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Qazi Hussain Ahmed.

He said this while addressing the meeting of the general workers at the 10th Yaum-e-Tasis of the MQM in 16 districrrts of Sindh.●