7/29/2019 Pakistan Drops Corruption Charges Against Former PM Benazir Bhutto | World News | Guardian.co.Uk

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/pakistan-drops-corruption-charges-against-former-pm-benazir-bhutto-world 1/2

10/18/12 1:11 AMPakistan drops corruption charges against former PM Benazir Bhutto | World news | guardian.co.uk

Page 1 of 2http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/oct/02/pakistan.benazirbhutto

Corruption charges against Bhutto dropped

Corruption charges against the former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto have

 been dropped in a controversial move that will boost her chances of forming an al-

liance with the president.

Ms Bhutto, in exile since 1999, has for several months been holding talks with Gener-

al Pervez Musharraf about a power-sharing deal, but hopes of an agreement had

 been fading among her supporters.

Today, the railways minister, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, told the Reuters news agency:

"The government has agreed to withdraw corruption cases against Benazir Bhutto."

It was not clear when the decision would take effect and whether any conditionswere attached. A spokesman for Ms Bhutto in London said he could not confirm the

news.

The decision to waive charges arising from her term in power in the 1990s removes

one of two key obstacles to Ms Bhutto returning to the role of prime minister, which

she held in 1988 and from 1993 to 1996.

Ms Bhutto had been charged with illegally amassing properties and money in bank accounts overseas while in power. She was also convicted of money laundering in

Switzerland in July 2003 and ordered to pay $11m to the Pakistani government. The

case is under review after she launched an appeal.

Ms Bhutto is also seeking an amendment to the constitution to allow her to serve a

third term as prime minister if elected.

She has previously demanded that Gen Musharraf retire from the army if he contin-ues as president, and he has said he will step down if he wins another five-year term

when federal and provincial legislators vote on Saturday. Today his replacement was

named as former intelligence chief General Ashfaq Kiani, who has taken part in the

secret power-sharing talks.

The opposition has criticised Gen Musharraf, who took power in a coup in 1999, for

refusing to give up his military role before the election, arguing that the army should

 be separated from politics.

7/29/2019 Pakistan Drops Corruption Charges Against Former PM Benazir Bhutto | World News | Guardian.co.Uk

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/pakistan-drops-corruption-charges-against-former-pm-benazir-bhutto-world 2/2

10/18/12 1:11 AMPakistan drops corruption charges against former PM Benazir Bhutto | World news | guardian.co.uk

Page 2 of 2http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/oct/02/pakistan.benazirbhutto

Last week, Pakistan's supreme court cleared the way for him to seek another term

when it threw out a legal challenge to his plans to stand for the presidency while still

army chief.

However, 85 opposition MPs stood down from the national assembly today in an at-

tempt to rob the presidential election of legitimacy. The government has urged MsBhutto's party not to join in the protest.

Ms Bhutto is due to meet party colleagues in London to decide whether her party

will take part in the election.

She is due to return to Pakistan on October 18. Last month, another exiled former

prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, was bundled on to a plane to Saudi Arabia hours after

landing in Islamabad.