Toughening her stand, main opposition leader Benazir Bhutto on Monday ruled out further talks with President Pervez Musharraf on a power-sharing arrangement even as the government said she would not be allowed to run for a third term for the post of the prime minister.
The two-time former premier vowed to press ahead with her "long march" from Lahore to Islamabad on Tuesday in protest against the emergency despite stern warnings from the government that the rally would be stopped.
"We are saying no to any more talks. It is a change from my past policy," Bhutto told reporters in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province.
"We cannot work with anyone who has suspended the Constitution, imposed emergency rule and oppressed the judiciary. That's why we are holding the long march," she said.
The Punjab government has banned all public rallies, including the long march, and said it will strictly implement the order. On Friday, Bhutto was detained in her home in Islamabad to prevent her from leading a rally in nearby Rawalpindi.
Meanwhile, in Islamabad, Railway Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, a close aide of Musharraf, said there is no possibility of Bhutto being given a third prime ministerial term.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, in Islamabad, Railway Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, a close aide of Musharraf, said there is no possibility of Bhutto being given a third prime ministerial term.
{{/usCountry}}He also ruled out the possibility of article 58(2b) of the Constitution -- which gives the president the power to dismiss the prime minister and to dissolve parliament being abrogated as demanded by Bhutto.