Friday, May 31, 2002
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By Hasan Suroor
In remarks which, according to analysts, are likely to be seen in Islamabad virtually as an "incitement'' to Pakistan's armed forces and its western allies to overthrow the President Pervez Musharraf, she said: "The voices of the international community as well as the Pakistani armed forces are critical: they will determine whether Musharraf resigns to defuse the crisis or clings to power in a show of nuclear brinkmanship.'' Pointing out that the "last thing'' the U.S. wanted at this juncture was its "war against terror deflected by war between India and Pakistan,'' she said: "There is one way that war can be prevented, and that is a regime change in Islamabad.'' Gen. Musharraf's ouster would pave the way for a new Government to make a "fresh start'' in resuming a dialogue with India. In a no-holds-barred attack on Gen. Musharraf in The Guardian today, Ms. Bhutto, who is fighting her own political and legal battles with the current regime, questioned his claim to fight extremist forces in the country. "The international community made a critical error when it concluded that a military dictator could defuse tension between India and Pakistan or hold back the tidal wave of extremism that is now engulfing the region,'' she said. The fact, she argued, was that during his tenure there had been a "marked rise'' in extremism, terrorism and regional tension. Describing him as the "architect'' of the Kargil conflict which nearly led to a war, she blamed Gen. Musharraf for the collapse of the Agra summit, and losing an "opportunity'' to sign a confidence-building treaty with New Delhi. "Given this history, it's unlikely he can halt the march to war,'' she remarked in an article reproduced from the Los Angeles Times Syndicate International. She repeatedly underlined America's "pivotal'' role in restraining hotheads both in Islambad and New Delhi and said India would "reflect'' before starting a military action that lacked U.S. support. While the U.S. President, George W. Bush, might find it difficult to "dictate'' to India, she said he had "one weapon that can deter New Delhi. That is the threat of international mediation for the Kashmir cause. New Delhi is opposed to such intervention.'' Meanwhile, The Times in a report from Islamabad quoted an activist of the banned Harkat-ul Mujahdeen as saying that despite a security clampdown by the Government, "hundreds'' of young militants were being trained in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir to be "sent across the border to strike against Indian targets.'' "Our men still manage to sneak into Kashmir despite security measures taken by Pakistan. How can Pakistani troops stop our movement when the Indian forces, with their three layers of security positions, could not,'' he said. The newspaper identified him as Muhammad Irfan, a "bearded veteran of many battles against Indian troops in Kashmir.''
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