Washington, Nov 19: Former Pakistan premier Benazir Bhutto has said that she was satisfied with the message US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte conveyed to President General Pervez Musharraf.

Talking to the CNN, Benazir said, Negroponte had told Musharraf to “lift the gag from the media”, release detained activists and retire as Chief of Army Staff.

“But this nation is waiting for Musharraf to give a date to retire as army chief,” she said.

When asked if there was any possibility that she might forge an alliance with Musharraf, Benazir replied, “If Musharraf is not responding to Washington’s call to retire as Chief of Army Staff – and Washington is giving him 10 billion dollars– I wonder how he will ever be ready to respond to my call for free elections.”

“Let’s first see whether Negroponte’s visit bears fruit in terms of Musharraf retiring as Chief of Army Staff before the new date he has set himself ... A fair election doesn’t just happen because one says one wants a fair election. We have to see proof of that, to see whether our Election Commission is reconstituted, whether the present caretaker government is reshuffled,” she said.

The Daily Times quoted her, as saying that the Pakistan Government is diverting its attention from the “real battle” in Pakistan, which was the threat from the extremists to disintegrate Pakistan.

Benazir went on to say that militants have already entered in the valley of Swat and from there they were spreading towards Islamabad. (ANI)