If Benazir Bhutto were to return to politics in Pakistan, she would stand up to militants, shut down madrassas where extremists recruit children, and work to boost the economy, the former Pakistani prime minister said on Tuesday.It is a tall order, Bhutto acknowledged in an interview with The Associated Press, and depends on the willingness of Gen Pervez MusharrafÂ’s government to give in to her partyÂ’s demands.
Bhutto said she was determined to return to Pakistan, though, after living for years in exile in London and the UAE. But she was unsure about doing so before elections this year.
“Right now, the signs don’t show that Pakistan is heading toward democracy,” said Bhutto, who leads the Pakistan People’s Party from exile. “I wish I could be more optimistic. I wish my message could be more hopeful. I simply don’t see the steps that are necessary.” She has set no date for returning, but said her party needs her at home.
In Pakistan, though, she could face charges related to the corruption allegations, which she has said were never proven. That threat would need to be eliminated before she would return, she said. The government also would have to make certain concessions, including restoring a balance of power between the Parliament and the president, who now has the power to sack the prime minister and dissolve the legislature.
Pakistan also would need to show it can hold free and fair elections, she said. And Musharraf, if he wants to remain president, must give up his role as army chief – something he appears reluctant to do.
Bhutto was critical of Musharraf’s record, noting that in recent years, extremist elements have gained power, and more hard-line religious groups have won parliamentary seats. “The state seems to have conceded its authority to militias, militants and Taliban groups in different parts of the country, and that worries me most.”
Bhutto said her key concern was the economy, and noted that few jobs have been created from the international aid Pakistan has received since siding with the US after the September 11 attacks. “In actual fact, poverty has increased,” she said. “Extremists play on the needs of the poor. They offer food, clothing (and) shelter in exchange for taking children at a young age.”
If she returned, she said, she would make it a priority to dismantle terrorist cells and fight militants as a first step toward improving the economy. “Unless we have stability in the country, we’re never going to invite the foreign investment that is needed to act as a catalyst for Pakistan’s economic growth,” she said.
She also said a goal would be getting India and Pakistan to “agree to disagree” over their competing claims to the Kashmir region, and to focus instead on issues both countries faced.