'The poor and shirtless of Pak are my strength'

PEOPLE'S PERSON? Bhutto insists she is not under American pressure but pressure from the people of Pakistan.

        

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Karan Thapar: But what about the second criticism made that you are extending a lifeline to a sinking dictator. Arguably, Musharraf would not be able to retain his presidency without your party and your support. So at this moment, when he is anyway on the run and falling, why are you supporting him?

Benazir Bhutto: I think the question needs to be reframed because we are not supporting him. We are supporting a transition to democracy and the holding of fair elections and electing a viable Parliament.

Karan Thapar: Can I quote to you what you said to the Sunday Times in Britain just six weeks ago on July 22? You said, ‘Musharraf has lost his moral authority. His popularity ratings are down and it would be very unpopular if we saved him and would lose votes if we are associated with him.’ But that is exactly what you are doing. You have reversed your view. Why?

Benazir Bhutto: I don’t reverse my views, Mr Thapar. I have a very clear mission of where my party and my country should go. I don’t support uniformed presidency. When I was asked a question related to uniformed presidency, is said it was not possible for us. He is very unpopular and that is what the International Republican Institute polls also show. Pakistan is an important country. It is facing a threat from within and it is very important for us to move in a manner that can get the country elections. This dialogue of ours on democracy has precluded at certain critical moments so far the imposition of emergency in country.

Karan Thapar: You are suggesting that the deal that’s in the offing is in the interest of Pakistan but your own party workers, when they found out that you were talking to Musharraf were perplexed and disheartened. Even newspapers like The Daily Times, owned my members, supporters and former MPs of your party say you have gone soft and have compromised.

Benazir Bhutto: People are entitled to their opinion and at the end of the day you have to be judged by your people and the forces of history. The people of Pakistan support me. The people in my party believe in my leadership and if any of them were disgruntled they would not be applying to me to give them tickets in the forthcoming the general elections. The very fact that there are so many people interested in obtaining the tickets from the PPP shows that the PPP’s struggle for democracy is understood by the people of Pakistan. The PPP’s mission to eliminate poverty and unemployment and control inflation is understood by them.