Benazir Bhutto - SZABIST

Extremism looms as a threat, but it will be contained as it has been in the past if the moderate middle
can be mobilized to stand up to fanaticism. I return to lead that battle.
I have led an unusual life. I have buried a father killed at age 50 and two brothers killed in the prime
of their lives. I raised my children as a single mother when my husband was arrested and held for
eight years without a conviction -- a hostage to my political career. I made my choice when the mantle
of political leadership was thrust upon my shoulders after my father's murder. I did not shrink from
responsibility then, and I will not shrink from it now.
I am aware that some in Pakistan have questioned the dialogue I have engaged in with Gen. Pervez
Musharraf over the past several months. I held those discussions hoping that Musharraf would resign
from the army and restore democracy.
My goal in that dialogue has never been personal but was always to ensure that there be fair and free
elections in Pakistan, to save democracy. The fight against extremism requires a national effort that
can flow only from legitimate elections. Within our intelligence and military are elements who
sympathize with religious extremists. If these elements are not answerable to Parliament and the
elected government, the battle against religious militancy, a battle for the survival and future of
Pakistan, could be lost. The military must be part of the battle against extremism, but as the six years
since Sept. 11, 2001, have shown, the military cannot do it on its own.
Many issues remain unresolved in our political structure. Musharraf is precluded from seeking
reelection in or out of uniform. Pakistani law requires a two-year wait before a member of the military
can run for the presidency. The general can respond to the people's desire for legitimate presidential,
parliamentary and ministerial elections, or he can tamper with the constitution. The latter choice
would risk a fresh confrontation with the judiciary, the legal community and the political parties. Such
a confrontation could lead to another declaration of martial law, civil unrest, or both.
Civil unrest is what the extremists want. Anarchy and chaos suit them.
The political element in Musharraf's party that presided over the rise of extremism has worked with
every Pakistani administration since my government was destabilized in 1996. Its members are
blocking the democratic change I have tried to achieve with Musharraf. They fear that democracy will
be difficult to manipulate to the benefit of extremists and militants.
My dialogue with Musharraf aims to move the country forward from a dictatorship that has failed to
stop the tribal areas from becoming havens for terrorists. The extremists are even spreading their
tentacles into Pakistan's cities.
Last week brought a fresh challenge. Just days ago, Pakistan's election commission arbitrarily
amended the constitutional provision regarding the eligibility of a person competent to contest for the
office of president. As the constitution can be amended only through a two-thirds majority in
Parliament, a judicial hornet's nest has been stirred.
My party and I seek fair, free and impartial elections to be held by an independent election
commission under an interim government of national consensus. We want a level playing field for all
candidates and parties.
In words commonly attributed to Joseph Stalin, "Those who cast the vote decide nothing. Those who
count the vote decide everything." That's why we have stressed electoral reforms -- although our
efforts have so far been in vain.