Associated Press

Islamabad, February 11:

Two ex-prime ministers and former political rivals have agreed to work together to introduce democracy in Pakistan, news reports said today. Benazir Bhutto, who headed two governments in the late 80s and early 90s, and her successor Nawaz Sharif, whose government was ousted in a bloodless coup led by President Gen Pervez Musharraf in October 1999, met in Saudi Arabia to discuss the political situation in Pakistan.

Bhutto’s husband, Asif Zardari, told Geo television that the two politicians vowed to “bury their bitter past” when they met yesterday.

“Yes, I can confirm that Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif met in Jeddah,” Ahsan Iqbal, a senior opposition leader, told Geo, adding that the two want to return to Pakistan, re-enter politics, and pursue political reform. “They agreed to jointly work for the restoration of true democracy in Pakistan,” he said. Bhutto, who lives in self-imposed exile to avoid arrest in corruption cases in Pakistan, divides her time between Dubai, the United Arab Emirates and London. After his ouster, Sharif agreed to spend 10 years in exile in return for his release from prison. He lives in Saudi Arabia.