Bhutto urges Musharraf to `Walk The Talk by end August

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has urged President General Pervez Musharraf to walk the talk, saying that the delay in facilitating her return to Pakistan could have political ramifications that neither would want.

New York, Aug. 16 : Former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has urged President General Pervez Musharraf to walk the talk, saying that the delay in facilitating her return to Pakistan could have political ramifications that neither would want.

Expressing her frustration with the political negotiations that have gone on for almost a year, Bhutto told the Council on Foreign Relations here that she was giving Musharraf until the end of this month to take what she called "confidence-building measures" to keep the dialogue going.

"Time is running out. Is it just talk, or is it going to turn into a walk?" she asked, adding that it was important to conclude the negotiations this month because "we are risking our popularity even by having this dialogue."

In her speech and in answering questions from the audience, Bhutto did not specify the measures she wanted Musharraf to take. But afterward, she said in an interview that she was demanding he lift restrictions on political party leaders such as herself and that he grant "indemnity for all parliamentarians and for all holders of public office."

"For us and him to work together, there have to be these gestures," Bhutto said.

Bhutto is facing graft charges in Pakistan stemming from her two terms as prime minister, in 1988-90 and 1993-96. In April, Musharraf disbanded the special anti-corruption unit investigating Bhutto, but the charges have not all been formally dropped. Bhutto called the charges against her politically motivated. "The charges are concocted to put the political class on the defensive," she said.

In her speech, Bhutto was strongly critical of Musharraf's military rule, which she called "unaccountable, unrepresentative, undemocratic and disconnected from the ordinary people in the country."

She accused Musharraf of "a very bloody suppression of people's human rights."

"I seek to lead a democratic Pakistan that is free from the yoke of military dictatorship," she said.

Despite her harsh critique, Bhutto said she is willing to work with Musharraf.

"Pakistan is not an ordinary country and it is not facing an ordinary situation now," she said when asked how she could justify dealing with Musharraf.

"We have problems with General Musharraf because he is a coup leader. But General Musharraf has committed Pakistan to following a moderate path," she said.

Analysts say Bhutto may be forced to work with Musharraf if she wants to return to active politics this year. She doesn't have any choice," said Marvin G. Weinbaum, scholar-in-residence at the Middle East Institute in Washington and a former Pakistan analyst at the State Department. "The military's not going to disappear from the picture."

Daniel Markey, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, said: "She's playing a pretty dangerous game, with the potential that it could backfire on her."

"If there is a deal, she has to still be an opposition figure. She has to be a critic of Musharraf, but at the same time be willing to work with him. That's a tough balancing act," he added.

ANI