Former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto has won British and American support for her efforts to enter into a power-sharing 'deal' with President Pervez Musharraf before the forthcoming general elections.
Bhutto met British Foreign Secretary David Miliband in London on Friday. The former prime minister had claimed that Musharraf had agreed to shed his uniform before the presidential polls as part of their deal.
While the chief of Pakistan People's Party described her encounter with Miliband as "positive", other party leaders termed it as "helpful".
"I was very pleased to have had the opportunity to meet with the foreign secretary to discuss a range of issues including the upcoming election," said the self-exiled Bhutto.
"The meeting discussed the future internal political situation but it's up to the parties themselves to negotiate the way forward," said a spokesperson of the British Foreign Office on Friday.
However, the spokesperson refused to comment on whether the United Kingdom was pressurising Musharraf to seal the pact with Bhutto, which will ensure her return from self-exile to contest parliamentary polls and his bid to seek re-election from the present assemblies in the Islamic nation.
The US has also supported Bhutto's deal with Musharraf, calling on the Pakistan president to honour "commitments in the past" and resign from the Army leadership, clearly indicating that the arrangement between the two leaders would be the best option for the country.
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