New Pakistan cabinet sworn in
Senate head appointed caretaker PM and Bhutto freed as senior US diplomat arrives.
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“Certainly the glass is not half full. Certainly we have a thousand things to do. But we have to be proud of the fact that we have made an almost empty glass to the half-full level,” he said.
Musharraf has said that emergency rule was imposed in an effort to crack down on fighters linked to al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
Small protests have erupted across the country and been broken up by police with sticks, but two boys were killed in shooting during a protest by Bhuttsupporters on Thursday.
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“I am very worried and angry – Musharraf should realise that we don’t need him” Advertisement
Avas, Islamabad, Pakistan
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“Our message is that we want to work with the government and people of Pakistan and the political actors in Pakistan to put the political process back on track as soon as possible,” Negroponte said.
Bhutto, leader of the Pakistan People’s Party, was under house arrest for three days.
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Bhutto said on Friday she was in negotiations |
Before the arrest order was served, she had planned to lead a protest march from Lahore to Islamabad to protest against emergency law.
On Friday, police also freed two leaders of Islamist parties, including Qazi Hussain Ahmed, and Asma Jehangir, head of Pakistan’s main human rights organisation and a UN rights expert.
“We totally reject this interim government. It is unacceptable, it is biased,” Bhutto said.
“Do we want to deny this nation its true legitimate leadership and make way … for extremist forces?
“The West’s interests lie in a democratic Pakistan.”
United front
Bhutto also said she was in negotiations with other political leaders, including Nawaz Sharif, the exiled prime minister, to try to form a united opposition front.
“I believe it is hard to build a coalition but I will take on the task … I talked to Nawaz Sharif and told him that I am discussing with all leaders the formation of an interim government,” she said.
Kamal Hyder, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Islamabad, said that Bhutto’s new strategy to ally party with other opposition groups could be a face-saving measure.
“Her credibility was greatly damaged after she made a deal with Musharraf,” he said.
“When she came to Pakistan her party told her she had lost points among the electorate and that the people would not vote for her if she continued with that alliance.
“Therefore she decided to take a U-turn.”