Musharraf didn’t deny when US journalist published his talk with Benazir

ISLAMABAD: Though General Pervez Musharraf now denies threatening or even calling Benazir Bhutto in 2007 when she was in the USA, he hadn’t denied the same when Pulitzer Prize winner leading American journalist Ron Suskind had not only revealed the same in his 2008 book “The Way of the World” but had also released the transcript of the conversation between Musharraf and Benazir Bhutto.
Sources claim that the recording of conversation is not only available but can also be forensically tested to make it admissible evidence in any court of law.
Lawyers associated with BB murder case opine that Musharraf has issued Friday’s statement on the advice of his lawyers as they believe that an eight years old call would not be traceable and thus could not become admissible evidence. Musharraf was not only president of Pakistan when the book was published in 2008 but also had vibrant spokesmen like Brigadier Rashid Qureshi, Fawad Chaudhry, Ahmad Raza Kasuri, Sher Afgan Niazi (the late) and Barrister Saif. A story containing all details of transcript of calls between General Musharraf and Benazir Bhutto was published as the lead story in daily ‘The News’ and daily ‘Jang’ on August 9, 2008.
The story was authored by senior journalist Umar Cheema. Musharraf was forcibly sent home by the political forces of the country on August 18, 2008. The entire media remained in contact with Musharraf’s spokesmen on August 9, 2008, but no denial or even clarification was issued.
“The Way of the World” was full of disclosures, with a fair portion about Musharraf-Benazir conversation including Musharraf’s quote “You should understand something, your security is based on the state of our relationship”.
Suskind had written that Benazir Bhutto’s case of returning to Pakistan was strongly backed by Condoleezza Rice-led State Department and equally opposed by the then Vice President Dick Cheney, who considered Bhutto “complicated and unpredictable”.
The book had disclosed that whenever Benazir Bhutto went harsh on Musharraf, the US ambassador in Islamabad used to advise her to “tone down any criticism of Musharraf”. The author had said Bhutto often regretted that Vice President Cheney never called Musharraf asking him to “behave” and instead kept her pressing for coming to terms with him.
As Musharraf, during telephonic conversation, had refused entertaining her demand for revoking provision barring her becoming PM for the third time, Bhutto had said: “What you can give me (then)? May be some real reform in election commission,” Musharraf had replied according to the call recording whose transcript was reproduced in the book.
Musharraf had said: “She should not be hoping for much there (reforms), either”.
According to the author, Bhutto’s representative had started approaching the State Department, in spring 2006 to work out a plan for her return, but White House had begun taking her seriously after the widespread demonstrations in backdrop of sacking of the chief justice. And this plan was aimed to shore up an embattled Musharraf, a single-issue ally, the book had disclosed.
The excerpts from the book related to transcript of Musharraf’s call to Benazir Bhutto in 2007 has been given below:-
Author said the US National Security Agencies (NSAs) were doing this job.
Telephonic conversation with Musharraf:-
Referring to conversation that took place three weeks before her return when she was meeting the US lawmakers at Capitol Hill, including John Kerry, and State Department officials, he writes: “Suddenly the couple (Bhutto-Zardari) turns. One of Bhutto’s aides is rushing towards them, saying he’s just gotten a call from one of Musharraf’s aides. The aide says that Musharraf can’t support Bhutto on a key demand - the repeal of the provision prohibiting a third term for the prime ministers - and he wants to talk to her... Bhutto takes the call from Islamabad.
“The twice-elected provision is important to me,” she tells Musharraf.
“If you’re retreating from that, what can you give me? May be some real reform in the election commission?”
He says she shouldn’t be hoping for much there, either.
In their many calls, he’s been surprisingly cordial, often quite reasonable. But something has changed. His voice is harsh, almost mocking her. She asks if the US officials have had conversation with him that makes it clear that her safety is his responsibility.
“Yes, someone has called,” Musharraf says, and then laughs.
“The Americans can call all they want with their suggestions about you and me, let them call,” he tells her... He finishes the call with a dose of fair warning.
“You should understand something,” Pervez Musharraf says, finally to Benazir Bhutto. “Your security is based on the state of our relationship.”
She hangs up the phone feeling as though she might be sick.
Regarding Musharraf’s call to Bhutto after assassination attempt on her arrival in Karachi, the author writes: “By the next day, Musharraf calls Bhutto at her estate near Karachi. She accepts his sympathies reluctantly.
“I’m not the enemy, Bibi.” She says little. She knows the lines are tapped. It’s a new hand and she is not showing her card.”