Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s Pakistan People's Party (PPP) has declared that it would contest Pakistan’s October 6 presidential election — but only if President Gen Pervez Musharraf is barred from running.
The announcement on Tuesday added another twist to Pakistan’s tangled politics and put more pressure on Musharraf, a key US ally in the war on terror who has held months-long talks with Bhutto over a possible power-sharing agreement.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court resumed hearing petitions that could determine Musharraf’s right to pursue a new five-year term.

The Opposition claims that he cannot do so without giving up his powerful dual role as army chief. Musharraf, who seized power in a 1999 coup, has pledged to step down as military chief and restore civilian rule if lawmakers give him a fresh mandate on October 6.

But a government lawyer said on Tuesday that the Pakistani leader would remain army chief if he is not re-elected. That has fuelled Opposition claims, denied by the government, that Musharraf could be preparing to declare a state of emergency.

With a court ruling expected this week, authorities have already rounded up at least 100 Opposition party leaders and members — perhaps many more — to prevent street protests, drawing sharp criticism from Washington and the European Union.

PPP said its vice chairman, Makhdoom Amin Fahim, would contest the presidential vote by national and provincial lawmakers if the Supreme Court disqualifies Musharraf, according to a party statement released late on Tuesday.
That indicated the party did not plan to run directly against Musharraf.