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Musharraf must go: Imran

Meena Menon

“Benazir Bhutto was far bolder and braver than most men I knew”

— Photo: PTI

Sharp attack: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Imran Khan addresses a press conference in Mumbai on Friday.

MUMBAI: Former Test cricketer and chairperson of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Imran Khan, on Friday held President Pervez Musharraf responsible for the death of Benazir Bhutto and said it was time for him to step down.

A caretaker government involving all parties should be formed so that free and fair elections can be held, Mr. Khan, who is here on a visit, told journalists.

He was in a state of shock since he heard the news when he landed in Mumbai on Thursday night from Lahore and was still trying to come to terms with the tragedy. He told reporters at an impromptu press conference at the house of socialite Parmeshwar Godrej in Juhu that it would be a long time before “we get over this.”

Aware of threat

He said he had known Benazir since their University days and also as a political rival. “She was far bolder and braver than most men I know. She was deeply touched by her father’s death too,” he said. Benazir knew there was a threat to her life and a person with lesser courage would not have gone back to Pakistan.

The U.S. backed Benazir’s return and this blatant interference was what put her under threat. She was also a threat to the people in power. People who were targeting President Musharraf would target her, he pointed out. When General (retired) Musharraf moves around, he had at least 70 vehicles in a convoy, the streets were cleared and he had high-level security. But in Benazir’s case, there was not enough security.

“She had to come back, she was a brave lady — one thing she was not was timid,” said Mr. Khan. “I always thought she’ll come back, but whether she was let down by General Musharraf is the question.”

India’s role

He called for a change in the strategy to fight terrorism and said Gen. Musharraf had failed to come up with any solutions. In fact, he was the problem. It was time for a genuine democratic government in Pakistan and he expected India to back the efforts towards that.

After the first attack on her in Karachi, Benazir had demanded an international investigation, but there was no proper inquiry, he said. It was so easy to say that the al-Qaeda was responsible, without any investigation. How can there be an impartial investigation when 60 to 70 per cent of the judges in Pakistan had been sent home and the Chief Justice and others were under house arrest? He said the judiciary should be reinstated before any inquiry could be held.

There was no point in persisting with the sham elections on January 8. There was no neutrality in this government and the elections could cause a bigger uproar. “This is the right time for Musharraf to step down and give this country some hope. Otherwise, it was on a downward spiral and there is no end to this terror threat.”

Mr. Khan wondered why incidents of terrorism were increasing over the years and even people like Benazir Bhutto had been killed. “What is Musharraf going to do now that he has not done over the last six years,” he asked. Terrorist groups were morphing into a bigger group and Pakistan’s very existence was under threat. In trying to protect the U.S. interests, Pakistan itself was threatened, he remarked.

While the Tehreek-e-Insaf and the All-Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) coalition had announced boycott of the elections, after this incident few Opposition parties would dare to hold rallies, he said.

He planned to return to Pakistan on Saturday. In reply to a question, he said he did not feel threatened. However, in Pakistan today anyone could be bumped off. “Why is Nawaz Sharif targeted? We don’t know who is doing this. The real threat in Pakistan today is anarchy.”

Asked how terrorism could be countered, he said terrorism was an idea, it was not an army. “You cannot win the war on terror if you lose the hearts and minds of the people and that’s what has happened in Pakistan,” he said. In the fight against terror, you cannot end up alienating the population. People were now fighting the state in reaction to the Army’s role, especially in the Frontier areas. “We have to start talking to the people, including the Taliban,” he said.

“Eventually, a political solution has to be found to the problem. I will be willing to talk to everyone except Musharraf. Pakistan is ready for democracy now more than anything else,” he said.

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