Peshawar: Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto today held talks with her party leaders in northwestern Pakistan, the second day of her election campaign that began in the conservative ethnic Pashtun heartland, a support base for the Taliban.

They discussed political developments in the troubled North West Frontier Province, party spokesman Farhatullah Babar said. He said Bhutto would later give a news conference to local journalists. Yesterday, Bhutto launching her election campaign, urging the people of Peshawar, the provincial capital and a stronghold of religious parties, to forsake militancy and support her secular Pakistan Peoples Party.

"I ask our Pashtun brothers to come forward for peace," she said. Bhutto said her party "will give them security, peace and employment, and will bring development to their areas so their problems can be solved."

Her trip came amid other opposition parties threats to boycott the January 8 election unless President Pervez Musharraf reinstates several Supreme Court judges he fired after declaring emergency rule November 3. The opposition parties claim he chose replacements who would let the government rig the ballot.

A boycott would be a serious blow to Musharraf's US-backed effort to return Pakistan to democracy after eight years of military dictatorship.

Musharraf has said emergency rule will end December 16 as demanded by Washington and the opposition.

Source : PTI