The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Islamabad

Former Pakistan premier Benazir Bhuto's party fielded a presidential candidate against Pervez Musharraf on Wednesday, saying that the military ruler was no longer capable of tackling Al-Qaeda. The embatled General Musharraf, a key US ally in the "war on terror", now faces two rivals in the polls on October 6, dashing his hopes of winning a second five-year term as president unopposed. Pakistan's Supreme Court meanwhile is hearing opposition legal challenges arguing that Musharraf is ineligible for the election while he remains army chief, with a decision expected imminently. Bhuto, who is set to return from self-exile next month, piled on pressure when she said that her Pakistan People's Party was nominating its vice chairman, Makhdoom Amin Fahim, to stand against Musharraf.