Pakistani officials agree on amnesty for former prime minister Bhutto

Top Pakistani government officials on Tuesday agreed to grant exiled former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto an amnesty from prosecution in corruption cases pending against her, a cabinet minister said. Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, who attended a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz that discussed the issue, said ministers and top officials had agreed "in principle" to quash old cases pending against Bhutto. Bhutto has held monthslong talks with President Gen. Pervez Musharraf over a possible power-sharing agreement. Among her demands has been for longstanding graft cases against her and other politicians to be dropped.