August 2007
Reports of
non-submission of accounts by PPP not correct
Islamabad August 31, 2007:
A section of the press has reported that the Pakistan Peoples Party
headed by Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto has not submitted statement of its
accounts to the Election Commission of Pakistan.
It is clarified that the press reports are not correct.
Both the Pakistan Peoples Party headed by Chairperson Mohtarma Benazir
Bhutto and the Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians headed by Makhdoom
Amin Fahim have been regularly submitting separately statements of their
audited accounts to the Election Commission of Pakistan as required under
the law.
The statements of accounts of the two parties for the year ending June 30,
2007 were submitted separately to the Election Commission of Pakistan on
August 27, 2007 well before the deadline of August 29 fixed for the purpose.
A public announcement to the effect was also made on the day the statements
were submitted.
The Office Secretary of the Central Secretariat, Pakistan Peoples Party,
Syed Ibne M. Rizvi personally submitted the audited accounts in the Election
Commission of Pakistan and receipts obtained for the same.
Mohtarma Bhutto not
convicted and eligible to contest elections.
Islamabad August 29, 2007:
A section of the press quoting some legal experts have said that a person
convicted by a court of law cannot contest elections and have raised
questions whether Mohtarma Bhutto can contest elections.
Giving the PPP point of view on the issue a spokesperson of the Party has
issued the following statement today.
Till date in none of the six References filed in 1997 by the National
Accountability Bureau (NAB) against Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto she has been
convicted for corruption or moral turpitude or misuse of power.
In January 1999, Mohtarma Bhutto went out of Pakistan with the permission of
Lahore High Court while her lawyers regularly represented her in the courts.
The Supreme Court has also ruled that she is not an absconder and the cases
can proceed while her lawyers represent her.
Accountability Court convicted Mohtarma Bhutto in the SGS case in her
absence. However, on appeal the full bench of the Supreme Court set aside
the conviction. She has also been acquitted in the case of alleged misuse of
powers in giving jobs in the PIA, he said.
In March 2000, Section 31-A was incorporated in NAB Ordinance 1999 after
Mohtarma Bhutto had left Pakistan in January 1999, the spokesperson said.
Subsequently the Accountability Court Rawalpindi convicted and sentenced her
in the SGS and ARY Gold cases, under Section 31-A of National Accountability
Bureau Ordinance 1999, declaring her as proclaimed offender. This despite
the fact that her counsel was present and orders of courts were shown to the
trial judge.
It may be mentioned that the Supreme Court had held that Sec 31-A does not
have retrospective affect. Furthermore, after the 2006 verdict of Sindh High
Court that convictions under Section 31-A of NAB Order are unlawful, the
Accountability Courts have stopped passing conviction orders under the said
Section.
The conviction order has also since been challenged before LHC, Rawalpindi
Bench, he said.
Article 63 (1) (h) disqualifies " a person who has been convicted by a court
of competent jurisdiction on a charge of corrupt practice, moral turpitude
or misuse of power or authority under any law for the time being in force".
As Mohtarma Bhutto has not been convicted in any case on the allegation of
corrupt practice, moral turpitude or misuse of power she is therefore not
disqualified from contesting elections, he said.
Pakistan at the
Crossroads
Stability depends on restoring democracy and bringing prosperity to Pakistan
Philip H. Gordon
Yale Global, 7 August 2007
WASHINGTON: Recent US
intelligence warnings that Al Qaeda is reorganizing in Pakistan – along with
the recent debate among presidential candidates over whether the US should
be prepared to take action there – underscore a reality that has until
recently been overlooked: The key to the war on terror lies not in
Afghanistan, but next door in Pakistan.
Al Qaeda is reorganizing in Pakistan. Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri and
other leaders hide in Pakistan. British and other extremists obtain
terrorist training and financing in Pakistan, and the US has caught a
majority of “high-value detainees” in Pakistan.
Pakistan also serves as a refuge, financial center and training ground for
Taliban fighters who seek to destabilize Afghanistan.
Recognition of this reality is not to suggest that the US and NATO ought to
contemplate a military mission on the Pakistani side of the border. Recently
when I traveled around northwestern Pakistan, people were buzzing about
former US Central Command General John Abizaid’s comment that a crisis in
Pakistan would make Afghanistan and Iraq “look easy,” wrongly suspecting
that he was hinting at the possible need for military force.
Military intervention in Pakistan, however, would be a recipe for disaster
even if NATO had the 200,000 troops needed to do it on the scale of the
Afghanistan mission – which it does not. Even covert actions or targeted
strikes on “actionable targets,” which the Bush administration has not ruled
out, could backfire. Obviously if the US obtains hard and specific evidence
of the Al Qaeda leadership’s presence in Pakistan, it must act, preferably
in cooperation with the government of Pakistan. But the Al Qaeda presence in
northwest Pakistan is dispersed across a vast, mountainous region, and US
military actions there could turn fiercely nationalistic Pakistanis even
further against the US without any certainty of hitting targets.
The problems in Pakistan may not have a military solution, but there is no
use pretending that the US has the luxury of focusing only on the Afghan
side of the border. Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf is in many ways a
US ally who has provided valuable cooperation in the war on terror. But
while he cooperates with the US by sending troops to hunt Al Qaeda in the
mountains, other branches of the Pakistani security establishment – keen to
protect their Pashtun brethren and fearful of Indian influence in
Afghanistan – actively support the Taliban. This leaves the US in an absurd
situation: The US gives Pakistan around $1 billion per year, mostly in
military aid, some of which finds its way to the Taliban fighters that the
rest is designed to fight.
Much of the discussion in Washington focuses on “pressuring” Musharraf. The
Bush administration is already doing it and not getting far. Indeed,
excessive public pressure could backfire, making any Pakistani cooperation
against Al Qaeda and the Taliban appear to be the action of an American
stooge.
Instead of tough public posturing, a more thoughtful American approach would
focus on efforts to help Pakistanis become more prosperous, secure and
democratic – therefore less likely to support extremism in the first place.
A first step in such an approach would be for Washington to complement
military aid to Pakistan with more economic and humanitarian assistance.
Pakistanis resent the fact that most American dollars end up in the hands of
the military and security services, and in the long run, better
opportunities for the country’s people would eliminate extremism. Greater
Western openness to imports from Pakistan, financial support for its failing
public education system and job-creating development assistance would do
more to wean Pakistan’s large youth population away from extremism than any
amount of diplomatic pressure or the threat of military force.
The US must also support a transition to democratic rule. Tolerating
Musharraf’s ongoing military dictatorship would be a debatable proposition
if the US were getting impeccable cooperation on terrorism, but is less
compelling when that cooperation is halfhearted. Indeed it is ironic that
President Bush – who so forcefully argued that US support for dictators in
the Muslim world is the primary cause for extremism there – fails to see
that dynamic taking place today.
In a range of discussions with Pakistani students, journalists, politicians
and policy experts, I found almost no one willing to support the
increasingly authoritarian general and much anger directed at the US for
backing him. The last few months in Pakistan have seen the abrupt removal of
the Supreme Court chief justice and his subsequent reinstatement, the
killing of some 40 protesters in Karachi, the murder of another Supreme
Court official, an aborted attempt to stifle independent television stations
and a general strike – precisely the string of explosive events that Bush
argues produce “stagnation, resentment, and violence ready for export,” that
his democracy-promotion doctrine was supposedly designed to avoid.
Some fear that democratically elected leaders in Pakistan would be less
ready to support the US. That fear is not entirely misplaced, but it
understates the leverage Washington would have over those leaders and
overlooks the fact that their actions would have more legitimacy in
Pakistani eyes than anything done by the current regime. It also misses the
point that, in the long run, repression will create more terrorists than the
government could ever arrest or kill. Islamist parties in Pakistan have
never done well in free elections, and they would not win if such elections
were held today. But if Musharraf ends up clinging to power through
repression rather than elections, support for Islamic extremism, as the only
alternative, could rise.
If we really want to address a major source of extremism emanating from
Pakistan, the US should use the current period of relative calm between
Pakistan and India – and the leverage derived from its growing partnership
with India – to launch a new diplomatic effort on the disputed region of
Kashmir. A deal – in which the current “line of control” in Kashmir becomes
a recognized border between India and Pakistan and the Muslim areas of
Kashmir constitute a special zone within India – could form the basis for
peace between the two nuclear neighbors. The proposed deal could provide for
significant autonomy within both the Indian- and Pakistani-controlled parts
of Kashmir, the creation of a consultative group that would include
Kashmiris, Pakistanis, Indians and perhaps others, as well as the gradual
demilitarization of the region. Such a step toward peace – supported
diplomatically and financially by the international community – would make
it possible for Musharraf to shut down the many Pakistani extremist groups
for which Kashmir is the raison d’être, and further undermine the perceived
Pakistani need for a Taliban client in Afghanistan. It would also facilitate
badly needed economic and energy cooperation from Pakistan, India and
Afghanistan.
So by all means, the US must continue to focus on Afghanistan and devote the
resources necessary to succeed there. But the US cannot neglect Pakistan,
which is ultimately the greater potential problem. Helping it overcome its
vast domestic challenges, and giving Pakistanis a more hopeful future, would
do more for the war on terror than any number of new troops next door.
NEW HAVEN: Amidst a flurry of rumors about impending emergency rule
in Pakistan, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has warned that, without a
peaceful transfer of power, Pakistan might witness a Ukrainian-style Orange
Revolution with a difference. The winner might not be the political parties
demanding democracy, but Pakistan’s armed extremists. “No one believed when
the Shah of Iran was facing street riots that it will end up in an ayatollah
revolution,” she said, drawing historical parallel in an exclusive interview
with YaleGlobal.
Bhutto confirmed that, during a late July meeting in Abu Dhabi, she had
discussed with General Musharraf the possibility of his giving up his army
position and running as a civilian president with Bhutto as prime minister,
her third term. But she said no concrete plans have been made, and there’s a
feeling in Pakistan that instead of offering a deal the general may be
giving her party “dheel” – local language for a long rope.
Bhutto addresses her warning about violent street protests helping the
militants as much to General Musharraf and his political allies as to
political opposition chafing for democracy. Deal or not, she said that she
intends to return to Pakistan “for saving my country from a militant
takeover, [and] God forbid, disintegration.”
In the interview Bhutto indicated that she would pursue a policy of
non-interference in Afghanistan and give up the traditional tit-for-tat
approach toward India that led Pakistan to overextend itself.
Of course, such assertions remain in the realm of speculation as Bhutto
waits for Musharraf to deliver on the understanding reached in Abu Dhabi.
Asked if Musharraf’s failing control prompted him to seek accommodation, she
avoided a direct answer, but said that the rise of extremist violence and
the gathering strength of a pro-democracy movement, as well as international
calls supporting the democratic process, could be factors. She pointed to
two major fault lines: “We have one on dictatorship versus democracy, and we
have a second one on moderation versus fundamentalism or extremism… I think
that General Musharraf is trying to seek a way out by having these contacts
with the Pakistan People’s Party.”
Her longtime political rival and recent ally, former Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif, criticized Bhutto for the secret Abu Dhabi meeting. In an interview
with the Voice of America, Sharif said that the entire country is united
about eliminating the army's role in politics. Alluding to Bhutto, he said,
“forces that try to lend a helping hand to a dictator at this crucial
juncture in history will be condemned by the nation.”
Is she helping to prolong the military rule, as Sharif charged? Bhutto
retorted that she found it “strange” that Sharif himself had negotiated with
Musharraf on exiting the country in 2000, prolonging Pakistan’s military
rule – and that the general gave her a similar offer, if she quit politics
for 10 years: “But I refused that offer because I felt that it would prolong
the military rule in my country.”
Bhutto justifies her talking with Musharraf as designed only to give
peaceful transfer of a power a chance. For the sake of stability in
Pakistan, putting it back on the path of moderation, she urges exploration
of any political options for a peaceful transition to democracy. She argues
that a peaceful transfer, if Musharraf can be persuaded, could avoid the
possibility of a militant takeover.
Unlike the other political parties clamoring to start a pro-democracy
movement straight away, Bhutto said her Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)
prefers to wait, because a premature campaign might prompt Musharraf to
impose emergency rule. However, she warned, “if the doors of the election
are shut on us and the emergency is imposed or the elections are rigged,
then certainly PPP with the other political parties, civil groups and NGOs
in Pakistan will put pressure like in Ukraine during the Orange Revolution
for the empowerment of our people.”
She is leery of street protests because the outcome is uncertain and could
give advantage to armed extremists. She points out no one expected an
“ayatollah revolution” in Iran. “But that’s what happened. And when the
Mensheviks took to the streets in Russia, no one expected the Bolsheviks.”
She adds, “I would do my best to do a peaceful transfer. But if that fails,
maybe I won’t be able to stop the street agitation. And that would be
dangerous.”
Bhutto did not categorically admit to meeting with Musharraf, but did not
deny the terms of a political arrangement reportedly discussed in Abu Dhabi.
She confirmed reports that issues discussed included Musharraf becoming a
civilian president in charge of national security and foreign affairs; the
lifting of a ban on Bhutto becoming prime minister; and her serving as chief
executive. But she said, “We have not reached an agreement yet because
everything the regime says it would do is post- presidential, prime
ministerial and parliamentary elections.” Skeptical of Musharraf’s
willingness to deliver on his promises in a phased implementation, she said:
“My party does not want to be led up the garden path.”
Would she return to Pakistan to be interim prime minister if Musharraf gets
reelected by the parliament? “No, I am not looking at this for myself,” she
said, adding “I think this is the worst crisis that we faced since 1971.”
She and her party seek cooperation with him – once the uniform is off. “The
PPP cannot cooperate with a uniformed presidency which blurs the distinction
between civil and military rule.” A free, fair election is necessary
because, she said, “We won’t like a situation where the elections are
manipulated and then we are offered a handful of ministries for legitimizing
fraudulent elections.”
Throughout the interview, it was clear that Bhutto agreed with many
Musharraf policies, including his approach to women’s representation in the
parliament and resolving the Kashmir dispute. She seems ready to take a
pragmatic approach in working with him to steer Pakistan toward a moderate
course. She said her party wants peace inside the country and to put an end
to the attacks on NATO and Afghan troops in Afghanistan. “We want an end to
the militants who tried to hijack our foreign policy by conducting attacks
on the Indian parliament and on other sites in India. So our world vision
collides rather dramatically with the world vision of the extremists.
President Musharraf has said he is for moderation, so we hope that he can do
something upfront that can facilitate moderate forces coming together.”
She criticized Musharraf’s failure in curbing the Taliban and letting
Pakistan become the preferred home for terrorists. She said that she
rejected the policy of Pakistani interference in Afghanistan for military
advantage in confronting India: “I want to end that policy of strategic
depth..... I think for us it is much better to have an Afghanistan that is
peaceful, that allows us to trade with it, that has good relations with all
its neighbors.” That policy must go hand in hand with a new approach to
India, she indicated.
Asked about the Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement, she said that the large
size of the Indian market was a factor in the US decision: “I hope that at
some stage we are able to be offered a similar civil nuclear cooperation,
but I also want to take my generation away from the early generations’ view
of tit-for-tat with India…. We need to pursue our core interests and not
seek to so overextend ourselves that we begin to collapse from within. I
think that is when the policy of strategic depth’s done. It is threatening
Pakistan from within.”
Nayan Chanda is director of publications and editor of YaleGlobal Online.
His most recent book is“Bound Together: How Traders, Preachers, Adventurers,
and Warriors Shaped Globalization,” published by Yale University Press in
May 2007.
Transcript of the interview.
“I am looking [to] saving my country from a militant takeover, God forbid,
disintegration”
Nayan Chanda: We are pleased to have in our
studios Mrs. Benazir Bhutto, two time prime minister of Pakistan, and we are
especially pleased to have her with us today at a time when Pakistan is
facing a critical choice about its future. Welcome Mrs. Bhutto.
Benazir Bhutto: Thank you, it’s lovely to be at Yale.
Chanda: Politics is as far removed from poetry as possible so I cannot
resist reading a little poem that you wrote some years ago: “One has might,
the other right. One has the sword, the other the pen. Guns rust and fall
apart. Ideas live forever.” So do you think President Musharraf’s guns are
rusting and that is why he is turning to you to do a deal?
Bhutto: Certainly there has been a degree of unease within Pakistan; General
Musharraf had given a charter where he wanted to take the country, which was
toward a true democracy and a moderate society. However in the last six
years, we’ve seen that the extremists have spread throughout the country. We
used to think it was just in the tribal areas, but indeed the Red Mosque
incident in our capital city of Islamabad showed that the tentacles of
extremism were spreading and that poses great challenges to Pakistan from
within as well as complicates the external picture.
Chanda: So the reason why he’s now willing to sit down with you is because
he’s feeling that he’s no longer in full control?
Bhutto: I see it differently. I think after 9/11, when the first general
elections were held under General Musharraf, it was less then a year later,
and he was seen very much as a strong ally of the west on which the
international community could depend, to reform the madrassas and to
constrain and restrain the terrorist elements within the country. But
unfortunately since then, there has been the rise of suicide bombings.
Innocent people in Pakistan like our women and children are being killed,
and I think now the international community has started supporting the
democratic process. Within Pakistan, we’ve had a pro-democracy movement
which has gathered strength as poverty in the country increased and people’s
needs were neglected.
So this confluence has made the elections of 2007 very important. All the
independent polls show that the Pakistan People’s Party [PPP] and I would go
on to win any fair election. So I think that this is what the need of
drawing people together. In Pakistan, we have different fault lines. We have
one on dictatorship versus democracy, and we have a second one on moderation
versus fundamentalism or extremism. So I think that General Musharraf is
trying to seek a way out by having these contacts with the Pakistan People’s
Party.
Chanda: Nawaz Sharif has suggested that one should do everything to remove
military from politics. And what you may be trying to do will be seen by
people as prolonging the military rule rather than getting rid of military
altogether.
Bhutto: I know that is what Mr. Nawaz Sharif is saying. But I don’t agree.
And I find it very strange that Mr. Nawaz Sharif talked to General Musharraf
and got out in the year 2000 which did prolong military rule in my country.
I was also offered that if I quit politics for 10 years, all the charges
against me would be dropped and my husband would be released. But I refused
that offer because I felt that it would prolong the military rule in my
country.
And now I am talking because this is about getting the uniform out of the
office of the presidency. This is about facilitating the transfer to
democracy. And as I said, we are talking, but we are not there yet. So I am
really not in a position to tell you today that there really will be an
agreement on the facilitative transfer to democracy. But I do know one
thing, that a facilitative transfer to democracy is far more preferable than
a situation of chaos on the streets that can be taken advantage of by
extremist elements. So as a Pakistani leader, who wants to see the stability
and unity of my country and see Pakistan go on the path of moderation, I
think it is important for me to explore peaceful political options of a
transfer to democracy. I will point out to you that no one believed when the
Shah of Iran was facing street riots that it would end up in an ayatollah
revolution. But that’s what happened. And when the Mensheviks took to the
streets in Russia, no one expected the Bolsheviks. So when we have a
situation where we have militants who are armed and we have political
parties who are unarmed, I would do my best to have a peaceful transfer. But
if that fails, maybe I won’t be able to stop the street agitation. And that
would be dangerous.
So let’s hope that we can indeed get either through the negotiations we are
having, or through the Supreme Court of Pakistan, some kind of a
facilitative and peaceful revival of the constitution, restoration of
democratic process, and a redress of people’s social and economic needs so
that terrorism and militancy can be undermined.
Chanda: According to some press reports, the agreement that has been reached
between you and President Musharraf is that he will be a civilian president
who will be in charge of national security and foreign affairs and you will
be chief executive. And the ban on you running for prime minister for the
third time will be lifted and your family can finally return. Is there any
truth in this?
Bhutto: These are certainly some of the issues that are being discussed.
General Musharraf wants to get elected from the present assembly; he thinks
that is legal. We in the PPP believe that it is not legal. So this matter is
going to be decided really by the courts and perhaps by public pressure too.
But ultimately it is a decision of a legal dispute. The elections are going
to be held later this year. My concern is that those elections should be
fair, free and impartial. I believe [along] with the International Crisis
Group that military intervention in the country is creating a failed state
which poses a danger to Pakistan’s own security as well as regional
security. So I would like those elections to be fair. And I think any
attempt by General Musharraf to manipulate those elections will lead to a
far bigger internal crisis with far reaching repercussions. We have not
reached an agreement yet because everything the regime says it would do is
post- presidential, prime ministerial and parliamentary elections. And my
party does not want to be led up the garden path. So we believe that the
cooperation needs to be calibrated so that there are different phases of
implementation.
Chanda: Is it possible that if he gets reelected by the parliament one more
time, but he makes you the interim prime minister so that there can again be
a free and fair election in December, would you accept that?
Bhutto: No, no, no. I am not looking at this for myself. I am looking at
this for the empowerment of my people. And I am looking at this for saving
my country from a militant takeover, [and] God forbid, disintegration. I
think this is the worst crisis that we faced since 1971. What we are looking
for is a cooperation, once the uniform is off. The PPP cannot cooperate with
a uniform presidency which blurs the distinction between civil and military
rule. Because the PPP has been fighting every single military dictatorship
that there has been in the country and we symbolize the aspirations of the
people for a democratic Pakistan. The PPP is also looking for holding fair
elections. We won’t like a situation where the elections are manipulated.
And then we are offered a handful of ministries in return for legitimizing
fraudulent elections.
Chanda: So what would be necessary for you to consider the elections will be
fair and free, what would be the conditions?
Bhutto: Very good question. The All Parties Conference [of opposition
parties] held in July earlier this year, which was called for by Alliance
for the Restoration of Democracy, came up with the points that need to be
implemented by the election commission of Pakistan for the holding of fair
elections. And earlier, the very widely respected international group known
as the NDI, National Democratic Institute, held a roundtable of all
political parties in Pakistan and the roundtable also came up with
proposals. And we have handed these proposals over to General Musharraf’s
side. And they have been promising us for some months that they will
actually implement various proposals that have come during the time for fair
elections. They keep reassuring us that the elections will be fair.
But unfortunately, except for transparent ballot boxes, none of those
reforms have been implemented, which is really leading to some unease in PPP
circles and indeed the opposition circles that now the elections are round
the corner, when is this all going to happen? When are these reforms going
to be lifted? And then there is also the issue of balance between the
presidency and the parliament. I see little point in getting a parliament
elected where the prime minister is thrown out two months later. We had this
in the ‘90s when the presidential power to dismiss the parliament was used
ruthlessly, not only against Mr. Nawaz Sharif and myself twice, but even
against Mr. [Muhammad Khan] Junejo. We feel that there is little point in
taking our country backward to the instability of the ‘90s. We have to move
forward towards a better political system where we know what the role and
responsibility of the parliament is and what the role and the responsibility
of the president is.
Chanda: How does one reach that era without constitutional reforms?
Bhutto: General Musharraf assures us that he wants the parliament to have
all the powers. And he says he does not want any powers himself. But there
is dichotomy because the constitution actually gives all the key powers to
the presidency. So this is an issue on which the discussions are still
on-going. Because while General Musharraf says he wants all the powers to be
with the parliament, he seems unwilling to give up the presidential power to
dismiss the parliament. So we are still having on-going discussions on that
particular issue. But we agree, both sides agree, that the reforms should be
implemented for fair elections, both sides agree that the ban on the
twice-elected prime minister should go, both sides agree that the moderate
forces should come together, both sides agree that there should be a level
playing field and an end to motivated litigation.
So there is a lot of agreement, apparent agreement on a lot of issues while
one or two still are outstanding. But right now the issue is, When is the
implementation going to take place and in which phase is this implementation
going to take place. To complicate the issue, the ruling party has been
saying that nothing will change and that they are not really negotiating
with the PPP. They are just giving PPP a “dheel,” which in our local
language means long rope. They keep talking about how they are going to
impose emergency. So some people have cynically remarked that the Red Mosque
incident in Islamabad was actually cooked up by elements of the cabinet to
provide a pretext for emergency, but their plan failed when the presidency
decided to take action against the militants. So you know we are talking
here about a country from which many key Al Qaeda suspects and terrorists
have been arrested like Abu Zubeida, and Khalid Sheikh from Pindi
[Rawalpindi], Ramzi bin al Shihab from Karachi. So we must remember that
this not just a war for Pakistan’s heart and soul; this is something that
will have far-reaching ramifications on militant struggles across our
borders. We in the PPP are very determined to build peace. In fact, we say
that the message of Islam is peace. And we want peace for our citizens
inside our country, we want an end to the attacks on NATO and Afghan troops
in the nearby Afghanistan. And we want an end to the militants who tried to
hijack our foreign policy by conducting attacks on the Indian parliament and
on other sites in India. So our world vision collides rather dramatically
with the world vision of the extremists. Musharraf has said he is for
moderation, so we hope that he can do something upfront that can facilitate
moderate forces coming together.
Chanda: President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussaain of the Pakistan Muslim League
has said that maybe there will be imposition of emergency and the assembly’s
term will be extended for one year. If that happens, then what will be the
position of your party?
Bhutto: I believe my party will join with all the other political parties to
protest any attempt to defer the elections. What we have been telling all
the other political parties, we had an All Parties Conference in London, and
we all agreed on certain points for the holding of fair, free and impartial
elections. Whereas the other political parties wanted to start a movement
straight away, we said, no, we have to wait. We have to wait and see whether
either the elections are postponed or we have to wait and see whether the
elections are rigged. But to start an agitation at this point might tempt
the rulers into imposing emergency. But I do think that if the doors of the
election are shut on us and the emergency is imposed or the elections are
rigged, then certainly the PPP with the other political parties, civil
groups and NGOs in Pakistan will put pressure like in Ukraine during the
Orange Revolution for the empowerment of our people.
Chanda: You can see a street protest of the type that we saw recently
involving the chief justice, perhaps even bigger with the participation of
political parties?
Bhutto: That’s right. I very much can see that happening. I would like to
see it happening, but I don’t think Pakistan needs anarchy or civil strife
or bloodshed. But both sides have responsibility to prevent that. And the
elections now give General Musharraf and the presidency an opportunity as
well as the military establishment an opportunity to take Pakistan safely
from one phase of governance to another phase of governance. The spoilers
are there. After all why would those who have politically benefited from
firing the shots from the shoulders of the military want to have fair
elections which will see them give up power and go into opposition.
So I understand that there will be elements like the ruling PML(Q) [Pakistan
Muslim League (Qaid-e-Azam)] which will do everything to scuttle a process
of reconciliation and resolution, moving Pakistan to a moderate course. But
I think it is important for General Musharraf and the military establishment
to stay the course, not to defer the elections, not to impose the emergency
and to make sure that those elections are credible and satisfy the public.
The public are the important people. We need international observers.
Otherwise there would just be name calling. So we need a third party that
can certify whether the elections are going to be fair or not.
Chanda: President Musharraf has been criticized recently severely in the US
for not doing enough to capture the Al Qaeda suspects hiding in Pakistan.
What do you think of that? Do you think he is doing enough?
Bhutto: Well I know as a Pakistani it certainly hurts me very much when I
see that inevitably the trail of terrorists leads back to my country. If it
is an issue of the tube bomber, we find that he had visited the Pakistan or
if it is an issue of Richard Reid, the shoe bomber, we find that he had made
a telephone call to Pakistan. If it is capturing the CEO of Al Qaeda Khalid
Sheikh, we find that he was captured in Pakistan’s garrison city of
Rawalpindi. It bothers us Pakistanis that our great nation should be
associated with such elements. We don’t want to make our country hospitable
to such elements. My party severely criticized the peace agreement that was
signed in 2006 with the Taliban elements in the tribal regions of Pakistan.
And we feel that our tribal areas receded to the foreign elements, to Afghan
Taliban and the Arab and the Chechen militant fighters. And now those groups
actually administer parts of our territory. And hold our people hostage.
They dispense their own form of justice. They teach little 12-year-old boys
to behead those they accuse of being spies. I mean little children should
have pens in their hands. Little children should have schools to go to.
Little children should have dreams.
Chanda: So why is it that it can still continue in the Pakistan territory?
Bhutto: This is a question that General Musharraf and his regime must
answer. While they have certainly verbally expressed the sentiment for the
right cause of eliminating terrorism and extremism in the country,
unfortunately they have not been able to assert the rule of law in the
country. My government would move swiftly to assert law and order in the
tribal areas of Pakistan, to hunt down the Al Qaeda leaders who are trying
to take advantage of the lack of law and order there, to stop the drug trade
which is actually funding and fuelling terrorism and to reform the political madrassas who use the name madrassas, but are actually militant headquarters
using women and children as human shields. I am a woman, I am a mother. I do
not want to see the innocent women and children of my country held up as
human shields and killed as they were during the Red Mosque incident. And I
think it is the duty of government to provide the protection of the life and
liberty of its citizens.
Chanda: Given the fact that, despite President Musharraf’s verbal assurances
that he’s doing everything, it is still continuing and in fact increasing,
can you blame the Americans for saying that they will actually intervene
without the Pakistani permission?
Bhutto: Well, I can understand why they say that because they feel that
Islamabad has failed to stop the terrorists and that is why they would like
to move in, but I will really urge against that. I believe that the
violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty through unauthorized military action
will have very adverse consequences. When under attack, all Pakistanis will
forget their differences and they will all unite. So any unauthorized action
would pit the NATO against all the people of Pakistan, and I do not think
that is advisable. But I think what is advisable is to have a close working
relationship. Certainly, when the PPP is elected to power, we intend to
restore law and order to our tribal areas and prevent the militants from
attacking NATO. So we intend to take away the causes that today can threaten
air strikes against Pakistan. We also intend to work very closely with the
NATO and with the United States and other countries to eliminate terrorism;
to help us also in our tribal areas, to eliminate, through intelligence
sharing and other means of cooperation.
Chanda: Pakistan has always sought its strategic depth in Afghanistan as
part of its security policy. Do you think that policy has led to the
alliance between the Pakistani ISI and Taliban? Will you change that?
Bhutto: Well I certainly hope that I can change it. I believe that the
policy of strategic depth has backfired and in fact it was in 1998 that I
stood up in the parliament of Pakistan and I said that the policy of
strategic depth is turning into one of strategic threat for Pakistan. And
the passage of years have shown to me that indeed such a policy is leading
to militancy, suicide bombers, weaponization, drug trade in Pakistan to an
increase in poverty and unemployment. As the priorities of the state shift,
these issues are neglected, so I want to end to that policy of strategic
depth. I think Afghanistan has traditionally been viewed either as a buffer
state or as a forward policy state where there is strategic depth. And
throughout history, different empires, even the British Empire or the
Greeks, even when they came to the area, have looked at the issue in terms
of the strategic depth or a buffer state. And I think for us it is much
better to have an Afghanistan that is peaceful, that allows us to trade with
it, that has good relations with all its neighbors, and I think it is very
promising that Afghanistan has joined the South Asian Association of
Regional Countries. And I think for India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and other
countries of SAARC, this is where we should concentrate. We should try to
create the economic interdependencies that allowed Europe to emerge from the
ravages of two World Wars and build a common market that has given
unprecedented growth and an increase in the standard of living of ordinary
Europeans. I mean in the ‘50s people were all on the rations. And now they
are spoiled for choice.
Chanda: Another issue Kashmir… seems to have been defused a little bit. Do
you see any prospect, if you return to Pakistan as prime minister, you will
have a different approach than what has been tried by Musharraf?
Bhutto: No. I think Musharraf did the right thing in following the spirit of
the Simla agreement, which my father had signed with Prime Minister Indira
Gandhi. And that the spirit of the Islamabad Declaration where Rajiv Gandhi
and I had decided to work for peaceful relations. Certainly the fighting
over Kargil and the 1 million men who faced each other eyeball to eyeball
after the Indian Parliament attack drove home the dramatic consequences of a
conflict between India and Pakistan, who are both nuclear capable states. I
do not think we can afford this. I think Musharraf did the right thing. We
have been very critical of him when he has done the wrong thing vis-à-vis
the policy with India or vis-à-vis the policy with women rights vis-à-vis
restoring the women’s seats in Parliament. We supported those measures
because we do not believe in being totally rejectionist or of being totally
accepting. We believe in dealing with issue by issue.
So yes, we would continue the process of dialogue with India and not only
that I hope in the 60th year of our anniversary – both countries are turning
60 in a few days time – I hope we can come and build a peace treaty. That
will enable our people to turn their backs on an unhappy past and look to a
brighter future. Kashmir is an issue between us, it is a dispute but then,
you know, India has a dispute with China over the border, but they do not go
to war with each other. So we need to learn that we can have differing
opinions without actually allowing them to transform themselves into
conflict, bloodshed, terrorism, militancy or war.
Chanda: When you were Prime Minister, how much were you aware of A.Q. Khan’s
nuclear-arms sales activities?
Bhutto: I was not at all aware of his nuclear arms sales opportunities. In
fact, as Prime Minister of Pakistan, my government gave birth to the Benazir
Nuclear Doctrine. Under this nuclear doctrine, Pakistan would not export
nuclear technology. That is the cardinal principle of the doctrine. And we
would not put together the components of a weapon unless our security was
threatened. And then we would not shape and mold uranium into nuclear parts.
So it was a policy that was bipartisan and came through with consultations
with the presidency and the armed forces so that it was accepted by all as
part of the national interest and to my knowledge it held until India
detonated its nuclear devices and then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, in
retaliation, detonated in Pakistan. So it was quite a shock that I learnt
that the no-export of nuclear technology had been violated, and then I would
not have believed it until A.Q. Khan came on television and confessed, and
now the only question before us is, did he fall on his sword to protect
others or the others are also involved? For that, my party calls for a
parliamentary inquiry because Pakistan cannot afford to endanger its own
nuclear system by scientists who begin to smuggle and proliferate weapons of
mass destruction.
Chanda: But he was flying C-130 of Pakistan Air Force to carry stuff. Is it
possible that he was doing it alone?
Bhutto: This is a issue we want resolved at the inquiry because it is
amazing to think that he could have access to C-130 aircraft and go to North
Korea. And not only go to North Korea, but go to so many other countries. I
remember in General Musharraf’s regime, there had been a full page
advertisement taken out by the ministry of commerce, advertising the sale of
nuclear components. Many of us were shocked, this is before A.Q. Khan’s
whole issue had been unearthed. So it was actually very shocking,
particularly in this world in which we live, where terrorists want to get
their hands on weapons of mass destruction. The entire world community
including the Pakistanis who live in diaspora as well as all other human
beings could face devastating consequences if mad people manage to get lured
by money. So I will like to find out more about how A.Q. Khan went around
doing this. Musharraf has pardoned him. That is one end of the spectrum, but
the other end of the spectrum is that we must make sure that something like
this can never happen again.
Chanda: Had A.Q. Khan had not engaged in this kind of activity, would it
have been possible today for Pakistan to sign a civilian nuclear agreement
with the US as India has done?
Bhutto: It is a difficult call. It is a difficult call. I think that India
is a larger market. And India is five times larger than Pakistan. And
certainly the post cold war, many academics had predicted that the Western
world would start coming to India. So it is difficult to call. But certainly
Pakistanis are disappointed that we were not offered the same civil nuclear
agreement. I hope that at some stage we are able to be offered a similar
civil nuclear cooperation, but I also want to take my generation away from
the early generations’ view of tit-for-tat with India. We cannot keep
competing with the Jones’s. We have to identify our own core interests. We
need to pursue our core interests and not seek to so overextend ourselves
that we begin to collapse from within. I think that is when the policy of
strategic depth has done. It is threatening Pakistan from within and today
if I risk my life to go back to my country; I do it because I see the threat
within. And I want to try and help my people and help my country avert
disaster.
Chanda: Last question, if General Musharraf does not doff his military
uniform, would you still go back to Pakistan before the end of the year?
Bhutto: Yes, I will go back to Pakistan whether Musharraf takes his uniform
off or not. I will go back to Pakistan this year irrespective of whether we
have an agreement with General Musharraf or not. But I hope that General
Musharraf will review, in light of the circumstances in Pakistan after the
restoration of the chief justice of Pakistan, his decision to seek
re-election in uniform from the present assemblies.
Chanda: Thank you very much, Ms. Benazir Bhutto.
Bhutto: Thank you. Thank you very much.
PPP Meets to Discuss Political
Developments in London: Sherry Rehman
Says Dialogue to Restore Democracy and Free Election: No Compromise on
Principles
The Central Executive Committee and the Federal Council of
the PPP are meeting in London on the 31 st August under the leadership of
Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto to discuss the future political situation, the
return of Mohtarma to Pakistan, and the general elections.
In response to a series of queries from the press, the Information Secretary
of the party, Sherry Rehman said that the PPP has been engaged in a
dialogue, through a series of direct and indirect contacts with all
political groups including the regime, for a peaceful transition to
democracy. The party is very clear that such a transition is possible only
through a fair and free election, under a caretaker government of national
consensus in which all the participants are given a level playing field.
Under the leadership of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, the PPP believes that the
way forward is to claim its right through a peaceful and open transfer of
power from a military to a civilian government, without trading on
democratic fundamentals. In fact, the key to such a way forward would be the
restoration of power to the parliament, and a balance among the vital
institutions of state, with checks and balances brought slowly back into a
system where the Executive had become all-powerful.
The party is clear that legitimacy can only accrue from the power of public
consent, which in turn can only be ascertained through an electoral
exercise. So any step that compromises the possibility of a general
election, at this point in Pakistan's history, would be both dangerous as
well as irresponsible. The military regime is no longer at a place where it
can guarantee peace, stability and governance to the people of Pakistan
alone, and for the first time, the whole world can see that this is true.
This is the time to push for a peaceful transfer of power, not to dismember
the country further through more blood on the streets. This is the time to
push from the courts, through civil society, and the media as this is the
time for the people to have their sovereignty back, said Rehman.
Sherry Rehman said that " let no one misunderstand, if sacrifices are needed
in a final battle for the survival of moderate Pakistan, it will be the PPP
workers and leaders who will be the first to willingly give their blood,
sweat and tears again. Let no one forget that the PPP has stood in the
frontline of every struggle for democracy, since Ziaul Haq's days to today
in the lawyers' movement. It has been the PPP's lawyers who have taken the
blow from the batons of the police, the PPP's workers that have died in
jail, and the PPP's workers that took bullets for the CJ's reception on May
12 in Karachi. Most recently, scores of the PPP's workers lost their lives
and their limbs in the bomb blast in Islamabad at the party camp set up to
welcome the CJ ."
Rehman also said " the party is very clear that it will not negotiate with
anyone to oust another elected government, as committed in the Charter of
Democracy, and any negotiations it is engaged in are only to obtain
conditions for a return to civilian parliamentary democracy. The PPP
leadership is not seeking any arrangement whereby it would vote for a
military dictator, as was the case in the 17th Amendment."
She added that "the restoration of the Chief Justice has given hope to all
democratic forces in the country, and in order to seek a balance of power
that empowers the parliament, civilian institutions, judiciary and the
press, PPP will engage with negotiations with all these institutions without
compromising on any of its principles. That is why it is the PPP and
Mohtarma Bhutto's popularity that have been rated as the highest right now
in all independent polls. That is why in a free and fair poll, it would be
progressive forces like the PPP that would emerge as the first choice of the
people of Pakistan."
PPP submits its
account today
Islamabad, 27 August, 2007:
The Pakistan Peoples Party and the Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians
today submitted their respective audited account for the year ending June
30, 2007, to the Election Commission of Pakistan.
The Office Secretary of the Central Secretariat, Pakistan Peoples Party,
Syed Ibne M. Rizvi personally submitted the audited accounts in the Election
Commission of Pakistan today.
Illegal for man in
uniform to seek election: Benazir
By Shamim-ur-Rahman
KARACHI, Aug 24: The
former prime minister and self-exiled chairperson of the Pakistan People’s
Party, Benazir Bhutto, reiterated on Friday that her party would not accept
a president in uniform and would continue to work for transition towards a
democratic dispensation in the country.
She also spoke of her intention to return to Pakistan to campaign for her
party and join other moderate political parties “to try and bring about a
transition”.
In an interview with DawnNews TV channel, Ms Bhutto said a president in
uniform blurred the distinction between democracy and dictatorship, adding
that “the PPP would find it very hard to reconcile with that and we will not
do so.”
Having recently commented that time was running out for “crystallising” the
so-called power-sharing package with President Pervez Musharraf, Ms Bhutto
told the anchorperson that “we have not reached an agreement yet.”In an
earlier interview with a foreign television channel, the former prime
minister had said that her “party is getting very upset because elections
are round the corner and by end of the month we really need to know where we
stand. We either have a package or we don’t have a package.”
In reply to a question, Ms Bhutto told DawnNews: “We are not interested in a
deal, we are interested in democracy. We are negotiating to facilitate the
transition to democracy,” adding that in her view, democracy was important
for defeating extremism and terrorism.
Asked to spell out the PPP’s position on Gen Musharraf’s bid to have himself
re-elected by the existing assemblies, and without giving up his military
post, Ms Bhutto said: “We believe that his election will be illegal and the
electoral college would also be illegal. The PPP believes that it is illegal
for a man in uniform to seek election.”
In response to another question, the PPP chairperson said that later this
month in London the top leadership of her party will deliberate upon the
election issue and a host of other matters. She did not categorically reject
the possibility that her party would put up a candidate for the post of
president.
Ms Bhutto also touched upon the possibility of internal reconciliation, in
which context she cited PML-N chief Mian Nawaz Sharif’s recent statement in
which he spelled out the terms for attending any conference held on the
government’s initiative.
Commenting on the Supreme Court’s verdict regarding the Sharif brothers’
return to Pakistan, Ms Bhutto said that though they had negotiated a deal
earlier, she welcomed the verdict which, she said, vindicated the PPP’s
point that every Pakistani should be free to return home and play his or her
role in every sphere of life.
Talking about the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD), the
former prime minister said that it was still operative and “we have left the
door open for the PML-N.” However, she refused to comment on criticism
regarding her recent initiative and said merely name calling serves no
purpose.
In reply to a question, Ms Bhutto said that the PPP sees the Muttahida
Majlis-i-Amal as a partner in government and maintained that they should
prove their credentials by resigning from the government of Balochistan.
Referring to any role played by the United States in the ongoing dialogue
between herself and General Musharraf, Ms Bhutto termed such perceptions
“wild reports” while conceding that Washington has great interest in
Pakistan’s transition to democracy.
PPP Slams Inaction on
Organ Transplant Bill
Says regime's stakes in the business is costing human lives
Islamabad , August 24, 2007:
The Pakistan Peoples Party criticised the regime for dillydallying with the
Organ Transplant legislation that the country has waited for a long time. By
sitting on the bill the government is blatantly championing the Organs Trade
mafia, ignoring the fact that the delay in legislation is costing a precious
life "every minute". The Bill that was approved by the cabinet after the
deletion of controversial clauses early this month, lay in limbo again as it
was sent to the parliament the day the session was to be prorogued.
The PPP has been lobbying for many years to introduce the legislation to
clampdown on the heinous practice of organ trade. The Party moved the
Donation and Transplantation of Human Organs Bill in 2005 but found the bill
rejected by the Speaker's chamber, with a notation that similar legislation
had already been moved.. The PPP bill was drafted in consultation with
stakeholders from the medical community, SIUT and others, but repeated
attempts to draw the government's attention to the issue yielded no
response. Last month, the Supreme Court took strong note of the regime's
hide and seek with this vital piece of legislation and ordered the
promulgation of the ordinance. Despite that, the regime successfully evaded
the passage of the bill in the Parliament by introducing it to the assembly
on the last day of the session.
"The illegal practice of organ transplant has been a major issue of public
concern and the regime's deliberate soft-pedalling of this unethical
practice is outrageous," said Sherry Rehman, the Central Information
Secretary of the Pakistan Peoples Party. "It is indeed deplorable that the
regime has been sitting on such a crucial bill and has blocked all debates
on it, while the common man pays for this criminal neglect with his life."
Rehman said that the Organ Transplantation Bill proposed by her in 2005 was
a stakeholder-driven document. "The PPP conducted extensive research and
consulted major activists in the field while preparing the bill. It was a
carefully planned piece of legislation that addressed various aspects of the
transplant exercise. It provided for caveats on donations, including the
criminalization of sale or unauthorized removal of transplantable organs. It
proposed setting up of Evaluation Committees of recognized medical
practitioners to ensure that transplantations are not unethically performed.
The bill also included the ability to donate when deceased, providing for
organ donation in the will. This would have sufficiently addressed the
practise of organ donation by living people that form the bulk of donors
today. It also called for strict penalty for illegal means for
transplantation. "
"It is astonishing to see the powers of the lobby that has the regime
shamelessly violating human rights by blocking all attempts to debate the
proposed legislations in this regard in the parliament. All five attempts to
place the legislation in the Parliament have been crushed by the regime that
clearly has stakes in the $ 1 billion a year industry."
Rehman observed that the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues
Ordinance prepared by the regime was riddled with controversy. "It had been
turned down by the stakeholders and experts, including those from the World
Health Organisation, as the proposed law sought to serve as a legal cover to
the unethical transplant practices in the country. Had it not been for the
pressure from civil society, the regime would have passed the controversial
legislation with ease. If General Musharraf can promulgate and cancel
ordinances such as the June 4 ordinance curbing the powers of the media at
the drop of the hat, what stopped the regime from promulgating this
ordinance that has precious human lives at stake?"
Calling for immediate legislation on the issue, Rehman said that the issue
is important enough to call another session of the Parliament. "The
Parliament doesn't have a clean record of passing legislation that has
served public interest. The least it can do during its last days is to pass
the appropriate legislation before the organ trade mafia becomes any more
powerful."
Mohtarma Bhutto condoles
with Javed Hashmi
Islamabad, 22 August 2007:
Former Prime Minister and Chairperson Pakistan Peoples Party Mohtarma
Benazir Bhutto and her husband Senator Asif Ali Zardari have condoled with
the Pakistan Muslim League(N) leader Javed Hashmi over his brother's death
who died on Monday.
Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto in a condolence message to Javed Hashmi said that
loss of a brother is a great tragedy and her thoughts are with the bereaved
family at this difficult time.
She prayed to Almighty Allah for grant of eternal peace to the departed soul
and courage to the family members to bear this irreparable loss.
PPP's meeting discusses
modalities of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto's return to the Country
Islamabad 22nd August 2007
-Spokesperson of the PPP has issued the following statement today.
A meeting of the Party's central and provincial leadership was held in the
PPP Secretariat Islamabad today under the President ship of Vice Chairman
Makhdoom Amin Fahim.
The meeting that lasted for six hours discussed different aspects including
political, administrative and legal of the return of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto
to the country and made recommendations. The recommendations will now be
considered in the meeting of the CEC of the Party to be held in London later
this month.
The meeting categorically stated that no permission from any person or
authority was needed for the return of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. It also
resolved that if any impediments were created in her return, the Party would
resist such attempts with full force.
The meeting further resolved that Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto would be accorded
a historic welcome on her return to Pakistan in keeping with the past
traditions of the Party. The meeting also reiterated its full confidence in
the leadership of Chairperson Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto.
The meeting was attended by Vice Chair and former Speaker Syed Yusuf Raza
Gilani, Secretary General, Jehangir Bader, Opposition leader in the Senate
Mian Raza Rabbani, Provincial President Punjab Shah Mahmood Qureshi,
Secretary Information Sherry Rehman, Senator Dr. Safdar Ali Abbasi, MNAs
Raja Pervez Ashraf, Ms. Naheed Khan, Sindh President Syed Qaim Ali Shah,
Frontier President Rahim Dad Khan, Opposition leader in Punjab Assembly
Qasim Zia Opposition leader in Sindh Nisar Ahmad Khuro, former Senator Taj
Haider, Party Spokesperson Farhatullah Babar, Chaudhary Abdul Majeed, Ghulam
Abbas, Kamran Zafar, Abdul Qadir Shaheen, Ch. Lateef Akbar and Anwar ul
Hassain Alvi.
PPP demands Inquiry
Commission to probe PNSC Fire
Gutting of office building twice in six months has raised serious questions
Islamabad August
19, 2007: Pakistan Peoples Party has expressed grave concern over
the gutting of the office complex of Pakistan National Shipping Corporation
(PNSC) in Karachi on Sunday and demanded a thorough probe into the incident.
The Sunday fire in the PNSC building was the second in six months that
caused huge losses and destroyed valuable office record.
In a statement today a spokesperson of the PPP said that it was noteworthy
that the twice gutted building in Karachi belonged to the MQM Ministry of
Ports and Shipping. MQM Minister Babar Ghouri is the federal minister for
Ports and Shipping.
The repeated outbreaks of fire has raised questions whether it was an act of
sabotage to destroy official record that may have contained incriminating
evidence of wrong doing, he said.
That the second gutting occurred when elections are around the corner and
the government is on its way out lends even further credence to suspicions
and misgivings.
It is critical that a Judicial Inquiry Commission is appointed to probe the
matter and its report also made public to allay such doubts and misgivings,
he said.
He also called for making public the inquiry report to investigate the
previous fire in PNSC building early this year and the steps taken to avert
its recurrence.
The people must know what lessons were learnt from the February fire and
whether those were acted upon or not.
PPP
will not bow before dictators
LAHORE: The Pakistan
People’s Party (PPP) will never bow down before any dictator as the party
believed in the people’s power and with their support it will come to power
again with Benazir Bhutto as prime minister for the third term, said PPP
(Lahore) President Haji Azizur Rehman Chan while addressing party workers at
the city office on Tuesday.
Hundreds of PPP workers and leaders gathered at the office to attend the
flag hoisting ceremony. Chan said the party was putting efforts to make
Pakistan a true democratic state and for that party leaders and workers had
rendered sacrifices and would continue to do so until the true democracy was
restored.
Information Secretary Zakria Butt said Quaid-e-Azam and Bhutto’s messages
were beacon for the generations to come and that every PPP worker was
delivering PPP chairwoman Benazir Bhutto’s message of democracy to the
people. Later, a PPP meeting was held in which a resolution was passed
thanking the party chief for expressing confidence in Lahore section and
awarding maximum number of tickets to them. Sajjida Mir, Faiza Malik, Arif
Naseem, Shahid Abbas and hundreds of party workers were also present.
The
Awakening
By Zulfi Khan
BPO Director UK
Dawood Group of Companies
Watford/Karachi
I write this in memory to one of the world’s most visionary,
principled and progressive leaders who gave his life to achieve global
equality and peace. The family to which this great leader belonged to has
many records since its historical emergence in 1236. But I plan to start
from January 5, 1928 when Martyred Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was born as
many Pakistanis alive today are aware of his contributions. He was born in
an atmosphere of politics due to his father Sir Shahnawaz Bhutto’s. He did
not depend on being the bud of a feudal lord but carried himself in a manner
that enabled him to emerge as a national and international leader for the
masses. For them he opened a gateway called ‘awareness’ (of basic rights,
freedom and equality) thus enabling them to shape their own destiny. His
mission was to unshackle, to honour and respect, a society free of
Bonaparte, free of poverty and free of inequalities for which he paid with
his life.
This parable outlines the neglected understanding of political power.
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto highlighted many solutions to these problems and
innovative ways to better ones economy without relying on external aid. In
the feudal state of Natsikap an old man, named "Zuh" (monkey master)
survived by keeping monkeys in his service. Each morning, the old man would
order the eldest one to lead the others to the mountains to gather fruits
from bushes and trees. The rule was that each monkey had to give one-tenth
of his collection to the old man. Those who failed to do so would be
punished. All the monkeys suffered bitterly, but dared not complain.
One day, a small monkey asked the other monkeys: "Did the old man plant all
the fruit trees and bushes?" The others said: "No, they grew naturally." The
small monkey further asked: "Can't we take the fruits without the old man's
permission?" The others replied: "Yes, we all can." The small monkey
continued: "Then, why should we depend on the old man; why must we all serve
him?" Before the small monkey was able to finish his statement, all the
monkeys suddenly became enlightened and awakened.
On the same night, watching that the old man had fallen asleep, the monkeys
tore down all the barricades of the stockade in which they were confined,
and destroyed the stockade entirely. They also took the fruits the old man
had in storage, brought all with them to the woods, and never returned. The
old man finally died of starvation. The morale is that some men in the world
rule their people by tricks and not by righteous principles. They are not
aware of their muddle-headedness. As soon as their people become
enlightened, their tricks no longer work. For those oppressed anywhere in
the world, the Martyred Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto is an ever-lasting beacon of
hope as he wanted to follow the righteous principles to benefit the masses.
Independence Day message
Mohtarma Bhutto felicitates nation of 60th Independence Day
Islamabad 13 August
2007-Former Prime Minister and Chairperson of the Pakistan
Peoples Party Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto has issued the following statement on
the Independence Day of Pakistan falling on August 14.
"On this auspicious occasion of the 60th Independence Day and I wish to
compliment all Pakistanis living within the country and abroad.
"Today is a watershed mark in the history of the country as it was on this
day, sixty years ago, that a separate homeland was created wherein we could
live in freedom and shape our lives according to our values.
"Pakistan was envisaged by its Founding Fathers to be a homeland for the
Muslims of South Asia where democracy, Constitutionalism, rule of law and
respect of human rights would reign supreme. It was also envisaged to be a
country where there would be social justice and economic opportunities for
all.
Countless lives were sacrificed for the achievement of the dream that was
Pakistan. The country's first directly elected Prime Minister Shaheed
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto sacrificed his life for the ideals for which Pakistan
was created.
"The Pakistan Peoples Party has a long history of struggle for the
achievement of the objectives for which Pakistan was created. I wish to
reiterate that the PPP will continue to struggle for the vision of Quaid
Azam and Quaid e Awam for achieving the goal of a federal and democratic
polity.
"On this occasion I wish to reiterate that the PPP which has given a
manifesto of peace and prosperity will pursue the goal of peace with honour
and good neighbourly relations with countries in the region. We will
endeavour to give hope to the people through roti, kapra and makan and by
providing them employment, education, energy and safe
environment.
"On the sixtieth anniversary of our independence I also salute farmers,
kissans, mazdoor traders, teachers, doctors, intellectuals, students, women
and minorities for their heroic struggle. I also ask them to support the
Party to restore law and order and provide security and dignity to every
citizen and open doors for them to knowledge and livelihood.
"Let us on this day rededicate ourselves to the principles of democracy,
human rights and economic opportunities for all. Let us on this day resolve
that we will not accept the perverted logic of the rulers that the country,
its resources and economic opportunities belong only to them and their
children to the exclusion of the toiling and teeming masses".
Benazir blames Musharraf’s partners for rise in extremism
NEW YORK: Pakistan
People’s Party Chairwoman Benazir Bhutto has said that her party has been in
negotiations with President General Pervez Musharraf and that democracy is
the only remedy to the country’s problems.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) published on Sunday, she
said her recent meeting with General Musharraf was the most famous
non-meeting because neither he nor she had officially confirmed that the
meeting had taken place. “I don’t know why ... but we haven’t officially
confirmed it. But the party has been in negotiations with General
Musharraf.”
Commenting on allegations of corruption against her, she said the graft
charges were an effort “to divert attention from the institutionalised
corruption of the military”. Regarding the events in the wake of the
presidential reference against the chief justice of Pakistan, operation
against Lal Masjid and the subsequent wave of terrorist activities, she told
the WSJ that Musharraf was facing two problems, one narrowly political and
the other fundamentally philosophical.
She said, “On the political front Musharraf has had a set of partners since
2002, the last elections, and it’s under those partners that extremism has
spread in the country. Now as these negotiations have been going on with the
PPP, that group is worried that it’s going to lose control … so they are
trying to jettison the return to democracy.” Calling Musharraf’s policies
towards Islamic militants “ambiguous”, she said the military regime needed
the threat of Al Qaeda and the militants to justify military rule, besides
“getting money”. If there was no threat, there was no money, she observed.
When asked to comment on Barack Obama’s recent statements about launching
unilateral attacks on the Pakistani tribal region, she said that she was
disturbed by Obama’s comments. Any unilateral attack would unite all
Pakistanis against the US, as they would see it as a threat against
Pakistan, she observed.
She said enough efforts had not been made by Pakistan in fighting against
the militants, adding that if the government had the consistent and
persistent will to take them then the government writ could be established.
“We’d like to work closely with NATO and the United States in eliminating
militancy,” she added.
Giving the example of the Inter Service Intelligence’s (ISI) Brigadier Ijaz
Shah, she said, “Brigadier Shah and the ISI recruited Omar Sheikh, who
killed Danny Pearl. So I would feel very uncomfortable making the
intelligence bureau, which has more than 100,000 people underneath it, run
by a man who worked so closely with militants and extremists.”
She said radicals were not enough to tilt an election. “But they are enough
to unleash terrorism against the population, to rig an election, to kidnap
police, to kill the army, and therefore to make it possible to take over the
state,” she observed.
Bhutto said that she planned to return to Pakistan soon, but said she was
worried that Musharraf could have her arrested or he would declare a state
of emergency or the elections would be rigged.
No
change in PPP position on uniformed President
Islamabad August 12, 2007:
A section of the press quoting Mohtarma Bhutto’s interview with a foreign
news agency has said the she had a ‘confidential understanding’ with General
Musharraf on uniform.
Clarifying the reports a spokesperson of the Party has issued the following
statement today.
“The PPP position on the uniform is well known. The PPP cannot work with a
uniformed President.
“Under the Constitution the term for Musharraf to keep uniform will expire
on November 16 before the general elections subject to the Supreme Court not
intervening earlier.
“Within that context the issue of the uniform presently is not the obstacle.
“The Party once again reaffirms that it does not support a uniformed
President as this blurs distinction between civilian and military rule".
PPP
rejects suggestions that Mohtarma Bhutto should not return before polls
Return of political leaders will enhance, not undermine political stability
Islamabad August
11, 2007: Commenting on the remarks of General Pervez Musharraf
that Mohtarma Bhutto and Mian Nawaz Sharif should not return to the country
spokesperson of the PPP has issued the following statement today.
“Any suggestion or plans to stop former Prime Minister Mohtarma Bhutto from
returning to the country before polls is tantamount to declaring that
forthcoming elections will be rigged and manipulated.
“The elections would have no credibility without the participation of all
political parties and all political leaders in a level playing field.
“For this reason alone Mohtarma Bhutto must return to the county before
polls; she will.
“The Party wishes to reiterate that Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto will return to
Pakistan before the elections, participate in the polls and also lead the
Party’s election campaign.
“Previously the regime claimed that Mohtarma Bhutto could not participate in
the elections because several legal cases were pending against her.
“But the whole world rejected that cases against her as politically
motivated and regard them as no more than a decade long witch hunting and
media trial at public expense for tarnishing her image.
“The regime realises that the cases against Mohtarma are merely allegations
and there was no law that barred anyone from contesting election. It now
says that she should not return, as it would result in political
instability.
“The Party believes that the return of political leaders and participation
in the polls will enhance and not undermine political stability in the
country.
“Mohtarma Bhutto would not only return to the country but also take part in
elections and if the people of Pakistan voted her into power she will be the
Prime Minister for the third time as well.
Mohtarma Bhutto hails National Solidarity Rally
Islamabad, 11 August 2007:
Former Prime Minister and Chairperson Pakistan Peoples Party,
Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto has said that today our foremost problem is
militancy rooted in intolerance and extremism. Never before the need for
democratic culture, religious tolerance and social justice was as great as
it is today. Never before also the need for banishing extremists and
intolerants, masquerading behind religion, was as great as it is today.
Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto said this in a message to the "National Solidarity
Rally" organised by the All Pakistan Minority Alliance to focus on the need
to rebuild a Pakistan where there is democracy, rule of law, mutual
tolerance and respect and where there is freedom to profess one's faith
without fear and discrimination.
Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto said, "It was on this day that the Founder of
Nation, Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah addressing the first Constituent
Assembly categorically stated, "You are free; you are free to go to your
Temples. You are free to go to your Mosques or to any other places of
worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion, caste or
creed --that has nothing to do with the business of the State. We are
starting with this fundamental principle that we are all citizens and
citizens of one state..In the course of time Hindus would cease to be Hindus
and Muslims would cease to be Muslims, not in religious sense, because that
is the personal faith of each individual, but in the political sense as the
citizens of the state."
Former Prime Minister said that over the years we have drifted away from the
gaols charted by our founding fathers. She complimented the All Pakistan
Minorities Alliance (APMA) it s Chairman Shabaz Bhatti and all those who
organised and participated in this Rally. I hope and pray that the Rally
would succeed in advancing the purpose for which it has been held.
Reports of differences in PPP not true
Islamabad August 11, 2007:
A section of the press has been reporting about the reported differences
among some Party leaders over the issue of Party's negotiation with the
regime over the restoration of democracy.
The press reports are not correct and seem to be spread by the anti Party
elements who wish to cause confusion and dissention through disinformation.
The Party encourages, indeed welcomes, a candid debate in its internal
meetings in which everyone is free to give opinion and advise on the pros
and cons of any issue under consideration. There will be those members of
the Party who support a certain policy issue under consideration and also
those who do not support it.
After careful debate and discussion all members of the Party follow the
collective decision of the Party and its Chairperson Mohtarma Benazir
Bhutto.
The reports of public differences of some leaders in the Party are not
correct
Pakistan pulls Bhutto arrest order
KARACHI, Pakistan (Reuters)
-- A Pakistani high court ordered authorities to withdraw a request to
Interpol to issue arrest warrants for exiled former Prime Minister Benazir
Bhutto, her lawyer said.
The court order came as speculation in Pakistan mounted that Bhutto could
forge a power-sharing deal with President Pervez Musharraf, the army chief
who has been besieged in recent weeks by militant violence and political
setbacks.
Last year, the government had asked Interpol to issue arrest warrants for
Bhutto after the government filed a complaint with a lower court that she
had misreported her assets to election authorities in 1996.
Farooq Naik, Bhutto's lawyer, said he had petitioned the High Court in
Karachi that the government's request for arrest warrants be declared
unlawful because the lower court had already thrown out the government's
complaint.
"The high court allowed my petition and passed the orders accordingly," Naik
told Reuters. In January, Interpol said it had issued "red notices" for
Bhutto and her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, after receiving a request from the
Pakistani government.
Interpol at the time said the notifications were not international arrest
warrants for the couple but only confirmation that "bona fide" warrants
existed. Bhutto, who has been living in exile for a decade, and Zardari face
a raft of corruption charges.
Bhutto has said the accusations were politically motivated and has vowed to
return home before elections due later this year or in early 2008.
Musharraf, who is passing through the most weakest phase of his eight-year
rule after the Supreme Court reinstated country's chief justice he had tried
to sack four months ago, met secretly with Bhutto this month in Abu Dhabi.
Bhutto has said she could work with Musharraf but insisted that he should
resign from the military.
Musharraf skips Karzai meeting
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN)
-- Pakistan's president, General Pervez Musharraf, will skip a highly
anticipated Thursday meeting with his Afghan counterpart and tribal leaders
along the mountainous border region between their two countries, his
government announced on the eve of the conference.
The Pakistani leader, whose nearly eight-year rule is being challenged by
opposition activists and Islamic militants, cited "engagements in the
capital" for his decision to skip the meeting.
Meanwhile the Associated Press reported that the Pakistani government may
impose a state of emergency because of "external and internal threats" and
deteriorating law and order in the volatile northwest near the Afghan
border.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz will lead the Pakistani delegation to the Joint
Peace Jirga, Musharraf's office announced Wednesday.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai announced the planned meeting Sunday, as he
prepared to meet with President Bush at the presidential retreat at Camp
David, Maryland.
Relations between Musharraf and Karzai have been chilly for some time, as
Afghan officials have accused Pakistan of allowing Taliban and al Qaeda
fighters to regroup and carve out a new safe haven along Pakistan's largely
lawless northwestern frontier.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Musharraf "has
good reason" for staying in Islamabad. He refused to elaborate, but said
Karzai and Musharraf had discussed the matter and "the process is moving
forward."
"Both of them have an interest in seeing this process succeed," he said.
"And they both have an interest in seeing greater cooperation between
Afghanistan and Pakistan in fighting violent extremism. It's important to
the future of both countries."
Taliban fighters and their al Qaeda allies were driven from power in
Afghanistan after al Qaeda's September 11, 2001, attacks in the United
States. But the Islamic fundamentalist movements continue to battle U.S. and
allied troops and attack Afghan schools and government installations in an
ongoing insurgency.
Karzai praised Musharraf earlier this week for taking "some very strong
measures" against extremists within Pakistan, such as his recent crackdown
on militants holed up in Islamabad's Red Mosque.
But he stopped short of saying the Musharraf regime was doing everything in
its power to prevent militants from crossing into Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, the United States is relying on Musharraf to fight radical Islam
and promote a moderate agenda in nuclear-armed Pakistan. But his government
has been criticized at home and abroad for curtailing democracy since he
seized power in a 1999 military coup.
That criticism came to a boiling point in March, when Musharraf suspended
the country's top judge, Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry. Critics blasted
Musharraf for overreaching his powers and trying to influence the Supreme
Court, which is scheduled to rule on whether Musharraf can run for another
five-year term under Pakistan's constitution.
After months of protests and court hearings on Chaudhry's status, Pakistan's
Supreme Court ruled last month that the suspension was illegal, and had him
reinstated.
In late July, Musharraf met with exiled opposition leader Benazir Bhutto in
Abu Dhabi, according to senior officials on each side of the talks. Analysts
say that Musharraf is contacting opposition leaders to buttress support for
his power because he has been getting weaker politically.
Bhutto served as prime minister twice between 1988 and 1996, when her
government was dismissed amid allegations of corruption. She has been living
in self-imposed exile since then, fearing arrest if she returns to Pakistan.
Despite her opposition to Musharraf, she told CNN this week that she would
be open to serving as prime minister under his government if he resigns his
post as chief of the country's powerful military.
Rice
'sways Musharraf on emergency
LAHORE, Pakistan (CNN) --
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice helped persuade Pakistan's
President Pervez Musharraf to hold off declaring a state of emergency, high
level Pakistani government sources said Thursday.
Musharraf was said to be considering the move, which would bolster military
rule and suspend democratic freedoms, amid security concerns that pose the
biggest threat to army chief's rule since he seized power in a coup in 1999.
U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack confirmed that Rice called
Musharraf early Thursday, characterizing it as a "good discussion," without
providing details.
The government sources said Rice called Musharraf -- a key U.S. ally in its
so-called war on terror -- after media reports that he was considering
imposing a state of emergency.
A recent report from the International Crisis Group said Musharraf was
considering the move to retain his grip on power amid a growing opposition
movement.
Islamabad said the measure was being considered amid the growing security
threat in Pakistan's lawless tribal regions.
Despite Musharraf's apparent climbdown, senior U.S. military officials
remain deeply concerned that the state of emergency remained a viable option
for Pakistan's leader, according to CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara
Starr.
She said senior U.S. military officials characterized the situation in
Pakistan as "topic number one," amid concerns that Washington does not have
a full grasp of what is happening within the Islamabad government or the
country's military at the moment.
"The key question for the U.S.: Is Musharraf doing this because of the
internal threat or strictly as a political ploy to put himself in the best
position for elections?" Starr said.
"It's the obvious question of course ... the U.S. feels it doesn't have good
answers to that. All of this has the Bush administration and military very
concerned about command and control of nuclear weapons in any Pakistanis
succession..
Pakistan information minister Tariq Azim said the state of emergency could
still be an option, particularly if the situation deteriorated in the
country's North West Frontier Province, which borders Afghanistan.
"As you know there have been problems in the North-West Frontier of
Pakistan, there have been suicide bombings, three Chinese have been killed
there and further we have got a situation on our borders with Afghanistan
where the 'war on terror' is going on," Azim said.
Pakistan's Supreme Court, led by its recently reinstated Chief Justice
Iftikhar Chaudhry, is set to rule on whether to lift the exile imposed on
Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after he was ousted by
Musharraf's 1999 military coup.
Musharraf suspended Chaudhry in March, triggering massive country-wide
protests and accusations that the Pakistani leader was trying to influence
the Supreme Court's ruling on whether he can run for another five-year term
under Pakistan's constitution.
Musharraf was elected to president in a 2002 vote that was widely viewed as
rigged. His five-year presidential term expires in November and he is
seeking to retain his position as president and army chief.
Amid the growing threat to his rule, Musharraf has reached out to opposition
leader and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in an attempt to consolidate
his power.
The two met in Abu Dhabi in late July, according to senior officials on each
side of the talks.
Despite her opposition to Musharraf, she told CNN this week that she would
be open to serving as prime minister under his government if he resigns his
post as chief of the country's powerful military.
That would significantly weaken Musharraf's grip on power in Pakistan.
The July 31 report from the International Crisis Group warned against
imposing a state of emergency, saying it would be a move by Musharraf to
retain the current "lame-duck parliament" so he can secure re-election
"before the people can express their will by voting for the new parliament."
Elections are scheduled sometime around the turn of the year after
Musharraf's term as president expires, as well as his army chief position.
The National Assembly's term also expires at the end of the year.
"This extreme step would only postpone the inevitable, while costing the
government all claims to public support and its remaining vestiges of
legitimacy," the report stated.
The Pakistani leader announced Wednesday he would skip a highly anticipated
meeting on Thursday with his Afghan counterpart and tribal leaders, citing
"engagements in the capital."
Relations between Musharraf and Afghan President Hamid Karzai have been
chilly for some time, as Afghan officials have accused Pakistan of allowing
Taliban and al Qaeda fighters to regroup and carve out a new safe haven
along Pakistan's largely lawless northwestern frontier. E-mail to a friend
-- CNN's Syed Mohsin Naqvi, Nic Robertson, Barbara Starr and Zain Verjee
contributed to this report.
Signed document
silent on conditions
By By Ansar Abbasi
The News -8-8-2007
