Khan arrested at Pakistan rally
Police say they will charge opposition leader Imran Khan under anti-terrorism laws.
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“I am very worried and angry – Musharraf should realise that we don’t need him”
Avas, Islamabad, Pakistan
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Kamal Hyder, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Islamabad, said the Pakistani federal government has not yet confirmed that Khan was being booked under the anti-terrorism act.
“We want to see all moderate political forces be able to work together. We continue to want to see elections move forward in a free, fair and transparent manner [and] we want to see the emergency decree lifted.”
Opposition alliance
In a separate development, the leaders of Pakistan’s two main opposition parties are reported to be working to form an alliance.
The proposed pact was revealed by Benazir Bhutto, a former prime minister and head of the Pakistan Peoples’ Party, who remains under house arrest in her Lahore residence.
Bhutto has called on Musharraf to step down as president and said she is seeking a partnership with Nawaz Sharif, her long-time rival and the exiled leader of the Pakistan Muslim League.
She said: “[Musharraf] must quit as president and as chief of army staff.
“I call on the international community to stop backing … the man whose dictatorship threatens to engulf this nuclear-armed state in chaos,” she said.
She also said for the first time that she would not serve under Musharraf should he win the elections he has promised by January 9.
“I would not serve as prime minister under a man who has repeatedly broken his promises, who is a dictator,” said Bhutto, who has previously held talks with Musharraf on sharing power.
“There is no room for dictatorship in Pakistan. We don’t accept this set-up,” he said.
Defiant Musharraf
Musharraf meanwhile spent the day in a series of interviews aimed at defending his decision to impose emergency rule. He said emergency rule would stay in place until after the elections.