Pakistan ex-PM Bhutto denies Musharraf promise to drop corruption charges News
Pakistan ex-PM Bhutto denies Musharraf promise to drop corruption charges

[JURIST] Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto [BBC profile] said Wednesday that reported Pakistani promises to drop pending corruption charges [JURIST report] against her amount to "disinformation" and indicated that talks with President Pervez Musharraf [BBC profile; JURIST news archive] on a possible power-sharing agreement have broken down. Pakistani officials said Tuesday they had agreed to drop [JURIST report] charges against Bhutto, a move that would permit her to enter the country for personal talks between her Pakistani People's Party [party website] and Musharraf. Musharraf is seeking Bhutto's endorsement as he faces a controversial re-election October 6.

Musharraf's re-election bid has been widely criticized for violating a constitutional ban on holding dual roles as president and army chief; 85 opposition members of parliament resigned Tuesday in protest. Legal challenges [JURIST report] to Musharraf's candidacy remain, although one Supreme Court judge has already recused himself from the latest proceedings, a development that is expect to delay further hearings. VOA has more. BBC News has additional coverage.