Lahore, June 11 : Former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto seems to be in a fix whether to strike a deal with President Pervez Musharraf to come back to power or to ally with the opposition parties against the present government.

According to a PPP source Benazir is eager to legitimise Musharraf's rule for the next five years. In return, she wants withdrawal of cases pending against her and holding of free and fair elections, which would ultimately bring the PPP to power.

However, this has reportedly met with strong opposition within her party.

"The ongoing judicial crisis, and the fear of being isolated from rest of the opposition on this issue, are other factors restraining her from negotiating any deal with Musharraf", The Nation quoted the source, as saying.

"On one hand, she seems eager to accept Musharraf as President, while on the other, she is under immense pressure from within the party for maintaining contacts with General Musharraf, which may tarnish PPP's image of a true democratic party", the source said.

"After all, what's the difference between the MMA and the PPP, with the former legitimising Musharraf's first term as President in uniform and the latter gearing up to give legitimacy to his second term, preferably without uniform", is the question being asked by her party leaders.

In her recent interviews, Benazir has been vocal about a negotiated settlement with General Musharraf.

She believes such a rapprochement is vital for a smooth transition to democracy in the country, and to block the way for religious extremists from assuming power.

However, many in the PPP believe that the ongoing judicial crisis and strong opposition from within the party has compelled Benazir to stay away from taking any major decision in the near future.