Open borders policy with India says Benazir

[mohabbat]

Benzir Bhutto, the former prime minister of Pakistan, has called for an open borders policy with India, and said she would be willing to visit Indian-administered Kashmir herself as part of such a process.
She also said that in 1996, the Pakistani military tried to persuade her to authorise a Kargil-style operation in Kashmir, but she vetoed the proposal.

Maybe if we free our people, something better can be achieved

Benazir Bhutto
In an interview as part of a series, India: a people partitioned, Ms Bhutto said: "We do have a dispute over Kashmir, but we think the time has come to have open borders, open exchanges, to free our people.
"Maybe if we free our people, something better can be achieved than all the governments of the past," she said.

Ms Bhutto said this was not a policy she pursued when she was in power, which is something she regrets.

On the tense Line of Control

She said that the present situation in the disputed region of Kashmir was likely to persist for the short-term.
"But as the people-to-people contacts grow, as we begin to move freely, to travel freely, then I believe that a change will come.

"Now whether that change means that an Indian flag will be there, or a Pakistani, or a Kashmiri flag, I can't say.

"But I would like to see India and Pakistan open their borders between Kashmir," Ms Bhutto said.

Peace plan

The former prime minister said she was even willing to travel to Srinagar while it was still under the control of Delhi.


"I would like to go to Kashmir. I don't like the fact that it's ruled by Delhi. I know the people of Kashmir are unhappy, and have given untold sacrifices.

"But I would like to go tomorrow if I could," she said.

She said the legislative assemblies in both Indian- and Pakistani-administered Kashmir could meet to monitor the Line of Control, which divides the two regions.

If we can put aside our prejudices, begin to open up, then we'll look at things differently

Benazir Bhutto
The assemblies could also decide if they wanted to remain separate or come together in one "supra-assembly".
"If we can put aside our prejudices, begin to open up, then we'll look at things differently, and ultimately everything is how you see it," she said.

Ms Bhutto also said that during her term as prime minister, her generals came to her with a proposal to conduct a Kargil-type operation in Indian-administered Kashmir.

"I was invited to a briefing at General Headquarters. And in front of about 50 or 60 officers, I was given a briefing with maps, screens, slides.

"And at the end of the briefing I vetoed it.

"I believe it was in the beginning of 1996," Ms Bhutto said.

[Mr Fraudia]

Originally posted by mohabbat:
Benzir Bhutto, the former prime minister of Pakistan, has called for an open borders policy with India, and said she would be willing to visit Indian-administered Kashmir herself as part of such a process.

(she must be willing to visit a court room first...she still has pending charges)

She also said that in 1996, the Pakistani military tried to persuade her to authorise a Kargil-style operation in Kashmir, but she vetoed the proposal.

(Like she had any power over the military...)

Maybe if we free our people, something better can be achieved

(Maybe if you free your serfs first, that could be a first step)

Benazir Bhutto
In an interview as part of a series, India: a people partitioned, Ms Bhutto said: "We do have a dispute over Kashmir, but we think the time has come to have open borders, open exchanges, to free our people.
"Maybe if we free our people, something better can be achieved than all the governments of the past," she said.


Ms Bhutto said this was not a policy she pursued when she was in power, which is something she regrets.

(What's the use crying over spilt milk. There were many policies that she did not pursue when she was in power..some that were teh basis of her political platform for election)

On the tense Line of Control

She said that the present situation in the disputed region of Kashmir was likely to persist for the short-term.
"But as the people-to-people contacts grow, as we begin to move freely, to travel freely, then I believe that a change will come.

(Babe, you aint travelling freely until you have spent some time in the sarkari mehmankhana)

"Now whether that change means that an Indian flag will be there, or a Pakistani, or a Kashmiri flag, I can't say."

(Never really had opinions on any real issues)

"But I would like to see India and Pakistan open their borders between Kashmir," Ms Bhutto said.

(Maybe thats where her jailbreak will be)

Peace plan

The former prime minister said she was even willing to travel to Srinagar while it was still under the control of Delhi.

(Is there a bus service from jail to Srinagar?)

"I would like to go to Kashmir. I don't like the fact that it's ruled by Delhi. I know the people of Kashmir are unhappy, and have given untold sacrifices.

(yip yap yip yap)

"But I would like to go tomorrow if I could," she said.

(Are you begging Indian government for an invite?)

She said the legislative assemblies in both Indian- and Pakistani-administered Kashmir could meet to monitor the Line of Control, which divides the two regions.

If we can put aside our prejudices, begin to open up, then we'll look at things differently

(Ummm why dont you practice what your preach lady)

I like what she is saying...but she has had a rather bad record of following through with any promises, with the exception of deposit promises to her swiss bank.

When we say Nawaaz was corrupt, it is not implying that she was not corrupt, she was a few steps ahead. She is a rather annoying and whiny lil thing.

[mohabbat]

What is surprising is that Benazir Bhutto is blaming the Pakistani military for the Kargil fiasco. She says that Pakistani military wanted to do a similar operation in 1996.

Pakistani government and military vehemently denied that the Kargil intrusion was anything to do with Pakistan and it was because of the Kashmiri mijahideen's. There were no infiltrators and Pakistani army was not involved in crossing the Line of Control.
Pakistan also said that it was an Indian propaganda.

And now Benazir blames the Pakistani military for the Kargil fiasco and crossing the Line of Control in Indian Kashmir. Nawaz Sharif also blamed the Pakistani military which dearly cost his job.

[Mr Fraudia]

Who has Benazir not blamed in past? By her standards politics should be like WWF :>

By her statements, she vetoed the whole deal...as if she could have had the military wanted to do something in 1986. Her dad vetoed his hanging as well I presume.

There is no surprise here...there is more than this one common factor between her and nawaaz. Both are putting the responsibility on the military..thats okay.

Both are also corrupt and have pending charges against them and proven misuse of public funds etc.

If you go back 2o years and make a note of every statement she has made...she has said something different later own. Same with her coalitions...one day you are her worst enemy next day best pal and vice versa..as I said, WWF :>

[mohabbat]

So Fraudia, you think Pakistan government or it's army was in no way involved in the infiltration and Kargil fiasco and the crossing of Line of Control was not done. Mujahideen's were Indian Kashmiris and were not supported by Pakistani army.

If that is the case why did they retreat and war averted after Sharif visited Washington.

[ZZ]

he did not say that. i think he is saying that neither of BB or NS had any control on army actions. actually pretty much a george fernandes thesis.

[Mr Xtreme]

Mohabbat says:

Mujahideen's were Indian Kashmiris and were not supported by Pakistani army.
If that is the case why did they retreat and war averted after Sharif visited Washington

Well if they retreated then who is it that is keeping your 700,000 paramilitaries occupied in Kashmir?

You should listen to ZZ, Mohabbat and stick to cut-and-paste.

[kmailik]

Thank God General Musharraf has said that he would never hand over power to this stupid woman ! or that traitor Nawaz Sharif. Unlike her father Benazir has no real empathy or care for the people of Kashmir, let alone the people of Pakistan - she has more care for the opinions of her western society friends who include Hindu Zealots, Zionists, British Empire lovers and stupid Americans (no offence to any Pak-American).

For both Benazir and Nawaz an ideal world would be where - Benazir is ruling the 'Indian protectorate of Sindh', and Nawaz is ruling (like Ranjit Singh from Lahore) the Indian protectorate of Greater Punjab'. Of course these puppet states would be a free economic union and open borders with India - All of Kashmir would be a Hindu-ruled state within India proper. While the rest of Pakistan (NWFP and Balochistan) would be annexed by a greater Iran (taking in Iran, Afghanistan, western Pakistan and Tajikistan).

Go help us that we have finally rid ourselves of these two traitors, and thank God we have General Musharraf - long may he reign over Pakistan....!!!

[This message has been edited by kmailik (edited February 09, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by kmailik (edited February 09, 2000).]

[Mr Fraudia]

ZZ thanks for understanding.
I am saying that I doubt that civilian government could control the military.

My post has nothing to do with Kargil or what happened and how it happened..so lets not get into it. This is only meant to show Benazir for what she is.

In her own statements there is a paradox..
she was hated by the military..if she could veto something as planned and important as she is claiming...why could Nawaz not do it?
I mean its simple, if the military could remove Nawaz because they were not happy with him...does anyone seriously think that she would have stayed in power if she was able to veto something as elaborate as she is claiming?


See this is the point. I personally would like to see the Kashmir issue resolved. I would like to see peace and cooperation, resources allocated by both countries towards defense to go into social and education programs. Do I have a solution for it? nope.. are people here willing to put aside their pre-conceived notions and just listen to one another..nope. I would be ecstatic if we could have an economic community and leverage our combined resources..and this is not just India and Pakistan I am talking about, but other countries in the region as well. Maybe wishful thinking on my part..but that is where I am coming from.

Benazir was in power for quite some time. Did she do anything serious to really have an open dialogue? Sure it takes two to tango and I am not prepared to discuss the willingness or unwillingness on the part of her indian counterpart to have open dialogue on this. What I do know is that she has been all talk.

Basically this is what I think of her statements

1) If she could veto it why was Nawaz unable to? which leads us to three possible answers here
a) She did not veto anything and is fabricating stuff.
b) If she is correct and the military accepted her veto, then Nawaz played along with the military and did not stop it...and thus he should not play the role of a victim either.
c) The military has changed personality in one decade..unlikely

2) So if the military can not be controlled, how can she do anything when she is in power?
She should limit her attempts to fool people to outsiders who dont really know her record, and to the illiterate public that falls for her crap each time. She can get sympathy/support of white house and downing street by acting as some savior, but rest assured she has no interest of pakistanis,let along kashmiris and indians on her mind.

3) This is not a new issue and she is not some new johnny come lately politician. Why was this issue not a priority for her during her last stay at the office.


There has to be a serious, open minded and fair attempt to solve this issue. I dont know about Indian leaders..but from Pakistan side...Benazir is defintely not the right person.

[ZZ]

I guess if she stays out too long, she will resort to fanning Sindhi nationalism. Such things have often happened in India.

[Mr Fraudia]

possibility, although many other sindhi leaders have been fairly critical of have been fairly critical of her and that would avert a lot of it.

[mohabbat]

Pakistan's Bhutto regrets losing chance to make peace with India
NEW DELHI, Feb 10 (AFP) -
Former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto said in an interview published Thursday that she had squandered chances to make peace with India by focussing solely on the Kashmir dispute.

"I missed the opportunity to make peace between India and Pakistan and I regret that," Bhutto told the Asian Age daily (Indian newspaper) in San Francisco, where she was attending a womens' leadership conference.

"In my second term as prime minister (1993-96) I squandered away an opportunity to build bridges ... I held everything hostage to the Kashmir issue and I regret that."

Since gaining independence in 1947, India and Pakistan have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir, which is divided between the two rivals and claimed in its entirity by both.

"In my first term (1988-90) when the Pakistan People's Party showed the will to make peace, we got booted out. But in my second term, I did not move towards peace. I missed the chance," Bhutto said.


India accuses Pakistan of fomenting the insurgency in Kashmir. Islamabad denies the charge but extends moral and diplomatic support to the unrest.

Indo-Pakistan relations have been in a tail spin ever since the bloody border conflict last summer between Indian troops and Pakistan-backed guerrillas in the Kargil region of Kashmir.

Bhutto also said that Pakistan had spent way too much time trying to match India's actions.

"Pakistan should give up the policy of doing what India does. India built a bomb; we went ahead and did that. India tested the bomb, we went ahead and tested ours."

She said she wanted Pakistan to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) which India has so far refused to do.

"We mustn't wait to see what India does. We should take an independent decision ... But the military dictatorship must not sign it, it must only be done by a deomocratic government."

[Fata Morgana]

I don't think that Benazir is in any position to make statements. She must first serve 5 years jail term in Pak. And then see whether NAB is going to disqualify her for 21 years to hold public office/representation or not.

Fata Morgana