The Hindu : Peace moves: Benazir cautions against too much optimism

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 13, 2004

International

International

Peace moves: Benazir cautions against too much optimism

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON, JAN. 12. The former Pakistan Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto, has voiced doubts over the prospects of the latest India-Pakistan peace initiative, saying it could be a ``tactical manoeuvre'' by Islamabad to head off international pressure.

Cautioning against too much optimism, she said hopes had been raised in the past also. ``Even now, there are certain doubts that the hopes can be misplaced and suddenly any development could spoil the entire show,'' she said.

In an interview to the BBC, Ms. Bhutto welcomed the decision of the two countries to resume talks but said ``durable peace'' could be achieved only when democracy was restored in Pakistan, and there was an across-the-board ``political consensus'' in the country to improve relations with India.

``In this regard, I have appealed to the Musharraf regime to allow both the exiled prime ministers (herself and Nawaz Sharif) to return to the country and be part of the peace process so that the world can see it as a sincere effort of the army, civilian rule and people of all the four states of Pakistan, and not merely as a tactical manoeuvre,'' she told the BBC world service, replying to questions on its weekly Hindi programme, `Aap ki Baat'.

Ms. Bhutto said the Pakistan President, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, had been under ``great pressure'' to start peace talks with India. ``He is under pressure from the entire world,'' she said, adding that while she wished him luck, the outcome of the latest efforts was uncertain without a political consensus.

``You do not know what would be the situation tomorrow; therefore, I repeat that without political consensus, you do not know of the outcome. We have to be clear that no particular individual can remain in power forever... Even if today we were to say that a particular leader is sincere, he would not be there forever, and remember, individual decisions are temporary and not long-lasting.''

To a question, Ms. Bhutto said the present ``establishment'' in Islamabad, had been blamed for the failure of both the Lahore ``bus diplomacy'' and the Agra summit.

``I hope that this establishment has learnt lessons from the past. Earlier, too, the Indian Prime Minister had made efforts to make peace with Pakistan with his bus diplomacy and Agra summit. Unfortunately, both failed, and I am extremely sorry to say that the media, newspapers and intellectuals blamed my country for failures on both occasions.''

In a pointed reference to Gen. Musharraf's role in ``destabilising'' the Lahore peace process by ``stirring things up in Kargil,'' Ms. Bhutto said ``Kargil was being planned'' even as peace talks were taking place in Lahore. ``In the eyes of the world, the overwhelming opinion is: it was due to Kargil that the bus diplomacy failed.''

Explaining the position of the Pakistan People's Party, which she leads from exile in London, she said India and Pakistan should first concentrate on confidence-building measures rather than rush to the Kashmir issue. ``We feel once confidence-building is done, friendship is there, then contentious issues can be resolved.''

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Peace moves: Benazir cautions against too much optimism