London, UK, August 29, 2007 – Pakistan’s military dictator General Pervez Musharraf, whose position has looked increasingly weak, has been thrown a political life line in a deal brokered by London and Washington. It is expected that Musharraf will soon appoint himself as civilian President, opening the doors for elections in the coming months. Benazir Bhutto is expected to return to Pakistan to contest the elections, thereby bailing out Musharraf from a deepening crisis.

In an interview with the UK’s Channel 4 news earlier this evening, when asked about the ongoing negotiations with General Musharraf, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto revealed that "the British Foreign Office has been very helpful" in brokering the deal. In July, UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband voiced strong support for Pakistan’s dictator, who is seen as a key ally in the west’s war on terror.

Commenting on the situation Dr Imran Waheed, media representative of Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain said: "It is outrageous that Pakistan’s political future is being fashioned in secret deals by governments in London and Washington, in what can only be seen as an unholy political marriage between the woman who presided over the most corrupt regime in Pakistan’s history, and a man who has the greatest record of betrayal in its history."

"Musharraf has sacrificed Pakistan’s strategic depth and has betrayed Pakistan’s nuclear command and control to America in its war on Islam in exchange for his own political survival. It is not surprising that London and Washington deem him worthy to take on the secular transformation of Pakistan."

"The corruption and incompetence of the 1990’s combined with the betrayal of the first decade of the 21st century should teach us a salutary lesson. It is not sufficient to change from military leaders to political leaders without changing the underlying political system that has brought Pakistan to its knees."

"The need of the hour is not the secular democracy that has failed before, nor for General Musharraf to remove his uniform, but the establishment of the Islamic Khilafah. It is only the Khilafah that will redistribute wealth to the poorest in Pakistan’s society. Under the Khilafah no one is above the law, not the Caliph, nor the rich and the well connected or the heads of political parties or army officers. The Khilafah will ensure that political and security decisions are never again made by foreign powers. What Pakistan needs is a comprehensive change of system, not more interference from foreign powers propping up corrupt regimes for their own interests."

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