NEW YORK, Oct 16: Former prime minister and chairperson of the Pakistan People’s Party Benazir Bhutto on Sunday expressed fears that if the situation in Waziristan is not brought under control, Pakistani territories may be bombed like Afghanistan.

In an interview with a private TV channel, she said that generals had made Pakistan a real estate to be leased out to the highest bidder. The recent visit of President Gen Pervez Musharraf to the US was for advertising his book.

He was told to improve relations with Afghanistan and was sent back with the clear instruction to enhance relations with allied countries.

Ms Bhutto said the role of Taliban was good while she was in power. “They had reached Kandahar but after I left (power) they brought Osama bin Laden who started a war against

the US after gathering youth from all across the globe and trained them at camps in Afghanistan. Iranian diplomats were killed.”

She claimed that as leader of the opposition in 1999, she cautioned the government to reconsider its relations with Taliban or to tell them that “our land may not be used against a third country and if you (Taliban) cannot do so you should not put Pakistan under threat”.

She said she could not understand how in the presence of 80,000 troops a few Arabs and other youths set up checkposts in tribal areas.

She said: “Army interferes then succumbs. The best way is that we should go to the public just like the way we went to the public and normalised situation in Karachi during our period in power. This is our own country and we need to come forward to save it.”

Answering a question on electricity crisis, the former premier said: “We purchased electricity at Rs6 per unit then reduced it to Rs4, presently the government wishes to purchase it at Rs11 but no one is willing to make the investment.” She said that the PPP might have disappointed some in the past but not all. In future the mistakes would not be repeated, she added.

She said that her husband Asif Ali Zardari was suffering from chronic heart ailment, which he got due to the 11 and a half years of imprisonment and torture.

He would continue politics and return to Pakistan if doctors allowed him.

She said she wished to work together with Nawaz Sharif for solving the problems of people and for a better Pakistan. “I don’t believe in revenge.”

She stressed the need for improving relations with Afghanistan and India, and said that when she tried to normalise ties with New Delhi she was termed a security risk.

“In our four periods in power not even a single accusation has been proved against me and (Zulfiqar Ali) Bhutto.

The corruption in the stock market and the steel mills has been proved by the courts.”—Online