India's National Security Advisor M K Narayanan said India is skeptical of a future Pakistani government under the stewardship of Benazir Bhutto, according to the local newspaper Times of India Monday.
In one of the first comments by the Indian leadership on a future Pakistani government, Narayanan said, "Her track record is not necessarily something that would make us believe that she will follow to the letter and the spirit of what she has said."
Narayanan said he was doubtful whether Benazir could follow through with her promises that she would close down terror camps, private militia and even flirted with the possibility of giving India access to Jaish-e-Mohammed's Masood Azhar and LeT's Hafiz Saeed, adding that's difficult to believe she will.
"One has to go by what she did in the 90s, so one is skeptical... even if she wishes to do so, the single most important entity in Pakistan remains the army and the ISI and I find it extremely difficult to believe that prime minister Benazir Bhutto, if she becomes that, will have a free hand in doing all the things that she wishes to do," Narayanan said.
This is the first time India has openly talked about Benazir's record with terror.
The newspaper said that Bhutto is generally regarded as the founder of the Taliban, along with her minister Nasrullah Babar. She had openly admitted to being the one to cement Pakistan's nuclear proliferation ties with North Korea and under her tutelage, terror camps against India had flourished. Narayanan's comments also coincide with foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee's statement welcoming the lifting of emergency in Pakistan.
Musharraf, however, comes in for "grudging respect" by Narayanan.
The national advisor reaffirmed India's official line that it would continue to do business with Musharraf.
"I must say there is a certain amount of grudging respect for the manner in which president Musharraf has managed to overcome his previous struggles. He's moved from a military president to a civilian president. He's managed to see there is no boycott to the election to the assembly. To some extent, he has managed to ride (it out). At least definitely in the short term it should be possible (for him to succeed). If he manages to do so in the long term then, of course, he's a very able person," Narayanan said.
Musharraf is a "credible interlocutor", he said, adding that "we will do business with whoever has the stamp of approval in Pakistan," the advisor said.
Source:Xinhua
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