Karachi, Nov 20 : Anticipating the possibility of the Musharraf regime rigging the general elections, former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has said that her party—the Pakistan People’s Party—might boycott the polls scheduled for January 8, 2008.

Benazir said that she has received information from a credible source and her party has written a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Justice (retired) Qazi Mohammad Farooq on this issue

She said that the PPP and other opposition parties would launch a countrywide movement against the Musharraf regime if it continued with its pick and choose policy and rigged the elections.

She also confirmed that her party is divided over the issue of participation in the general elections.

“Senior leaders of the party are in favour of the PPP’s participation in the elections, while others want the party to boycott the polls,” The Nation quoted her, as saying.

Benazir dismissed the impression that US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte has asked her to end her strategy of confrontation with Musharraf, adding that the US wanted the participation of moderate political parties in the elections for the restoration of democracy in the country.

She, however, said that Musharraf persuaded Negroponte to not meet her on the pretext that such a meeting could convey a wrong message to the general public.

She also expressed her regret over detention of over 18,000 PPP activists, stating that it exposed the partisan approach of the administration. (ANI)