Ex-Premier Benazir optimistic on return to Pakistan
Pakistan Times Staff Report

WASHINGTON (US): Pakistan's ex-Prime Minister Ms Benazir Bhutto has said that she is “cautiously optimistic” about her chances of returning home from her self-imposed exile in London and Dubai, the Washington Times reported on Saturday.

Bhutto, currently visiting the US, spoke about her political career during an intimate dinner last night at the home of Esther Coopersmith, “the grand dame of diplomatic soirees.”

Bhutto said that her allies in the Pakistan People’s Party had discussed her possible return with President Pervez Musharraf’s aides, the paper said.

But, she added that she must be guaranteed political space. The paper said that Bhutto wanted Musharraf to promise that she could campaign for parliament without restrictions on her movement or prohibition on her access to the Pakistani media.

Her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, plans to return first to test President Musharraf’s intentions, she said. Zardari is out of Pakistan right now after serving a jail term on corruption charges.

Message to Bush administration

Bhutto said that she hoped to talk with her supporters in Congress during her visit and would urge them to get her message to the Bush administration.

She strongly endorsed President Bush’s pro-democracy message for the Middle East, but said she wished that he exerted 'some public pressure on President Musharraf to restore political rights in Pakistan'.

Bhutto praised Bush for deposing of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and removing Saddam Hussein. She said Bush’s call for democracy could have inspired the demonstrators in Lebanon to demand an end to Syrian occupation.

She dismissed suggestions that democracy was incompatible with Islam. She found no contradiction between the Quran and democracy.

Of Fresh Polls

Meanwhile in an interview with an American TV channel, Benazir Bhutto said that her party had been calling for fresh elections so that enlightened and moderate forces could gain strength in the country.

She warned if the political vacuum persisted, protest rallies and processions would erupt and harm the country.

“My first priority is Pakistan, freedom and sovereignty of the Pakistanis. I am a political leader and I have a vast experience. I am a chairperson of the country’s popular political party at present. I want to return to country to play my role in the stabilisation of the democratic process and work for the protection of the rights of people of my country, and for the promotion of enlightenment, moderation and the culture of tolerance,” she said.

The former prime minister indicated that she was persistently receiving positive signals from the present regime. “General Musharraf says that I had gone abroad of my own will and could return at my choice,” she added.

Calling Musharraf’s statement encouraging, she said that it had encouraged her return to Pakistan.

Spouse Zardari to return on April-16

Meanwhile, Pakistan People’s Party (PPPP) leader and spouse of Pakistan's ex-Prime Minister Ms Benazir Bhutto Asif Ali Zardari said Saturday that future of Pakistan was linked with party and success was its destiny in country’s future political scenario.

PPPP leader urged the workers to come out of the houses on his arrival at Lahore on April-16 to show massive strength to the rulers. He was addressing party’s Punjab General Council members in Lahore Saturday from Dubai over telephone.

He said conspiracies hatched by the party opponents would never succeed and party would not accept any general election without its Chairperson Benazir Bhutto.

Asif Ali Zardari said that the People’s Party does not want any confrontation with the government, “but would fight for its rights if the latter forced it to take a confrontational course.”

“The PPP-P was a responsible political force and wanted to avoid any showdown with the government”, Asif Zardari said.

He said, “it was, however, our political right to do politics in the country, and nobody had the right to stop us from doing so.” The PPP-P had struggled for the restoration of democracy for eight years and had proved that it was the only political force in the country, Zardari added.

Of Govt-PPPP Rapprochement

Talking about govt-PPP-P rapprochement, Zardari said “striking a deal with the government does not mean that we would leave the path of democracy.”

“We have always talked of dialogue and it was an unending process,” he said, adding that when he was in jail Tariq Rahim had contacted him on behalf of then President Farooq Leghari.

The PPP-P leader said “General Musharraf keeps talking about democracy; if he is sincere in his commitment to democracy, we are ready to have dialogue with him in accordance with the party manifesto and vision.”

He said “we want to bring democracy to save the country and Punjab." He insisted that general elections would be held in 2005, and that the PPP-P would sweep them with the help of workers.

Love and Affection

Addressing the PPP-P workers and leaders, Asif Zardari said it was the love and affection of the PPP-P workers and order of the party Chairperson, Ms Benazir Bhutto that he should return to the country.

He appealed to the workers to give him a rousing welcome on his return. “You should prove by show of strength that PPP-P was the only political party enjoying popularity in all the four provinces”, he asked the workers and leaders.

He also asked for constitution of separate committees of MNAs, MPAs and district and divisional organisation of the party to make preparations for his return.

Zardari said he was expecting a rousing welcome for him on April-16 like the one given to him in Sindh and Rawalpindi. He also vowed to bring BB back in the country.

Jahangir Badr, Altaf Qureshi, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Qasim Zia, Khalid Kharral, Ahmad Mukhtar, Mushtaq Awan, Naveed Chaudhry, Munir Ahamd Khan, Mian Misbahur Rehman, Azizur Rehman Chan, Sami Ullah Khan, Sajida Mir and other leaders were prominent on the occasion.

Earlier, PPP-P Punjab Council adopted different resolutions 'expressing dissatisfaction over performance of the present government on internal and external fronts'. Naveed Chaudhry read out the resolutions.●