There is a call on the streets back home. Your party workers are increasingly calling out for you to return home and lead them in this latest democratic crisis facing Pakistan. Given the events of last week how likely or unlikely is it that demands will be met?Bhutto: The most important thing in Pakistan right now is the judicial crisis. The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) is playing its full role in protecting the judiciary. The sacking of the Chief Justice is viewed by many of us as an assault on the democratic institutions of the nation. The charges leveled against the Chief Justice are seen to be a pretext of removing a Chief Justice, who could be independent on important constitutional issues coming before the nation this year. These include whether General Musharraf can keep his uniform, whether he can be elected as President by the same assemblies and whether the ban on the two former Prime Ministers can stay in effect. So, I believe the PPP under my direction is playing its full role in Pakistan in supporting the lawyer’s movement. At the same time, I am very much in touch with my party over email and the telephone. We live in a modern age, an age of information technology, so I am able to be part of the process of fighting for the independence of the judiciary even from here, which I continue to do. However, to be part of the process of the rebuilding of democracy I plan to go back and hope to be able to do so at the end of the year.NDTV; You have been emphasising for sometime that the US be more supportive of democracy in Pakistan. In the past, because of General Musharraf’s importance as a strategic ally in the war on terror, the US listened to you politely but did not really act on your demands. There is now a perception of a new chill in US–Pak relations. Do you see it as so?Bhutto: I believe it is very strange that democracy is supported in Afghanistan but not in Pakistan. I believe that democracy is important to the people of Pakistan too. I believe that the whole issue of the Taliban and uncertainty in Afghanistan will all disappear from the radar when there is democracy in Pakistan. Lately, there have been critical comments in the media of Musharraf’s governance and his inability to stem the rise of the Taliban and the peace treaty, which has affected both NATO troops in Afghanistan and more importantly the people of Pakistan. We are facing suicide bombings outside our airports and hotels. We have had a judge that was killed. I believe that Musharraf’s political structure is totally ineffective in countering the rise of suicide bombers and dismantling militant groups, which is so important for Pakistan’s future.NDTV: Given the seriousness of this latest crisis of democracy in Pakistan, your party and Nawaz Sharif’s party have vowed to work together. Have you spoken with Mr. Sharif and are they any plans of putting up a united face?Bhutto: Mr Nawaz Sharif and I are both united on the need for free and fair elections that are open to all political parties. We also agree on the need for political and social reforms as enshrined in the Charter of Democracy. Mr Sharif and my party will continue to work from the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD). As far as Mr Sharif working with the MMA (Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal) is concerned we have reservations with that. So, we will work with Mr Nawaz Sharif’s party through the platform of the ARD but will not substitute the ARD with the APC (All Parties Conference) because we feel it is very important for a moderate option to be available in Pakistan. General Musharraf says he was only acting on the advice of the Government and that he was constitution bound to forward the reference of the government. There are reports that if push comes to shove the axe will fall on Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. Is there a chance that the General could escape from the crisis unscathed?Bhutto: There is a crisis in Pakistan that has gained momentum. The sacking of the Chief Justice has touched a raw nerve amongst many Pakistanis. Lawyers have protested and political parties are supporting them. Ordinary citizens have joined in these protests. The attack on the media and then the High Court in Lahore is a matter of deep concern as it shows a dismantling and disrespect towards the symbols of Pakistan's institutions. I don’t think the situation can be controlled unless deep measures are taken. For example, the Chief justice of Pakistan must be reinstated immediately. Secondly, a government of national consensus must be formed, of moderate parties, who can oversee free and fair elections. If this does not happen, I believe the situation will continue to be troublesome for General Musharraf and his regime. NDTV: General Musharraf alleges that the police action especially against the Geo TV office is a conspiracy against him and the country. Does he mean the opposition? Does he mean you? Bhutto: I have no idea what he means when he talks about a conspiracy against his government. The events that have unfolded in Pakistan have unfolded as a consequence of the sacking of the Chief Justice and certainly no one in the opposition including myself sacked the Chief Justice. This move came from the regime itself, so the buck stops at the regime’s desk. The regime really needs to confront and deal with the root cause of the problem. The root cause is really a democracy deficit. When there is a democracy deficit then obviously other institutions get attacked. When you have a dictatorship, then the dictatorship has to take undemocratic actions. It then needs a pliant judiciary to cover up for it and it needs a pliant press that does not report on the discontent. So, I think the regime really needs to grow up and confront the fact that the sacking of the Chief Justice is the catalyst to the present unrest in Pakistan and this unrest can only grow unless proactive measures are taken to diffuse the situation.NDTV: How do you perceive the events that took pace last week? Is this an attempt by the General to hold on to power? What do you see happening to the time line set of the elections?Bhutto: The timeline for the elections is set for the end of the year. There are some people who think that General Musharraf will use this present state of unrest to declare a state of emergency. But, even if he declares a state of emergency, the matter will go the Supreme Court of Pakistan and at this moment with the Bar Association up in arms and with judges themselves feeling threatened, it is unlikely that General Musharraf will be able to use the judiciary as a rubber stamp. It can’t be ruled out but it is unlikely that, that will happen.NDTV: There are many in the US and to an extent in India that believe that General Musharraf has managed to curb terror perhaps more than any civilian government could have. At this point when the world is fighting an increasingly tough battle against terror is it right to be criticising institutional structures in Pakistan instead of rallying behind what could be our best hope?Bhutto: I know that there are people in India who believe that General Musharraf could be their best hope but I am afraid that people of Pakistan have a different viewpoint. We fear for our society. When there are militant camps and Taliban regrouping in Pakistan, it not only has consequences for India and Afghanistan- who are our neighbours but also for the people of Pakistan. We have been disempowered. We too are victims of terrorism and of militancy. So, we the people of Pakistan have a stake in dismantling the militant groups and eliminating the Taliban from the tribal areas of Pakistan so that our people can be safe from suicide bombers. So that our people cannot be held hostage by militant groups who can, for example, strike India in the Parliament and bring our two countries to the verge of war. I would also ask the people of India, who think that General Musharraf is the best man to do business with, to review that stance because stability in south Asia can come not only when there is democracy in India and in Afghanistan but also in Pakistan.NDTV: But, many would say that crossborder terror really surged under your regime and under Nawaz Sharif we had the nuclear bomb so really it’s only under Musharraf that terrorism has gone down. Bhutto: I would not agree with that perception. I believe that during the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) government there was a low-level intensity Kashmiri movement. It was largely a political movement by Kashmiris of Kashmiris with no involvement of foreigners in it. During my tenure of Government there was no attack on any undisputed Indian target. Since then there have been the Bombay blast attacks, the parliament attack and also the Samjhauta Express attacks though it is premature to say who was behind that. There has also been the Kargil war. None of this happened when I was Prime Minister. In fact, instead Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and his government and subsequent governments worked together for a non attack on nuclear facilities and most importantly to transform the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) from a cultural one to an economic one. I believe that the future of South Asia lies in creating an economic zone that can tackle the problems of poverty, malnutrition and hunger that so many people in our countries face.