Pak Prez joins hands with Mush's PML-Q

Even as Pakistan was plunged into fresh turmoil on Thursday with PML-N cadres protesting the Supreme Court order barring the Sharif brothers from contesting polls, the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) led by president Asif Ali Zardari decided to join hands with the Pervez Musharraf-backed Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid) to form governments at the centre and in Punjab province.

Zardari's slain wife Benazir Bhutto had, in a letter, named PML-Q's parliamentary party leader Pervez Elahi as one of her "would be assassins".

Barely a year after Pakistanis reinstated a democratically-elected government by voting Pervez Musharraf out of power, the country is again faced with a major political turmoil with the Supreme Court on Wednesday barring former prime minister Nawaz Sharif from contesting elections because of prior criminal conviction.

The apex court unseated his brother Shahbaz, chief minister of Punjab, because of alleged irregularities in the elections. While charges against Nawaz stemmed from the Musharraf-led coup in 1999, Shahbaz's rivals had challenged his election to the provincial assembly.

Governor's rule has been imposed in the province.

Karachi, Feb. 25: Former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf may have regularly denied reports that he is planning to re-enter the political by lanes of Islamabad, but it seems that he still nurtures dream of making a comeback to the political scene of the country.

Continuing his recent strings of meeting with several political leaders, Musharraf met Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) Chief, Pir Pagara.

Sources said Musharraf and Pagara discussed the current political scenario, and a probable tie-up between the former allies in near future.

Musharraf also discussed about the proposed lawyers' march, to which several parties including the Nawaz Sharif headed Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have lent support.

Lahore, Feb. 22 : Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has charged former President General Pervez Musharraf of planning to execute him after toppling his government 10 years ago following his Kargil misadventure.

Addressing the Pakistan People's Party- Nawaz (PML-N) general council meeting at his Raiwind residence, Sharif said Musharraf and his associates wanted to hang him after the coup, but judge Rehmat Ali Jaffery refrained from awarding death sentence despite immense pressure.

Lahore, Feb. 22 : Pakistan People's Party leader Qasim Zia has dared the Pakistan Muslim Legue-Nawaz to start legal proceedings against former President Pervez Musharraf for toppling the Nawaz Sharif government in 1999, instead of blaming PPP for taking Musharraf's dictatorial policies forward.

Addressing a press conference, Zia said the PML-N should take the case of General Musharraf to the court of law and get him arrested, adding that the PPP would never hinder such a move.