London: Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) accused Benazir Bhutto of being an Indian agent and tried to ruin her efforts to improve ties with India when she was the premier, says the last book written by the assassinated leader.
Benazir Bhutto—Reconciliation, Islam, Democracy and the West, which was released in London on Tuesday, says the ISI tried to wreck the “budding relationship” between Benazir and Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who were willing to “think out of the box” and break the stalemate in ties.
Bhutto wrote in the book she was proud of her work with Gandhi and they both were committed to improving ties between the two countries using the guidelines framed in the Shimla Accord but the ISI opposed their efforts.
"I am particularly proud of our work with Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, building on the progress in Pakistan-Indian relations that our parents had established in the Shimla Accord," Benazir wrote.
"Rajiv and I negotiated a remarkable treaty committing our nations not to attack each other's nuclear facilities. This was the first nuclear confidence-building treaty between Pakistan and India.”
Benazir claimed the 1972 Shimla Accord was "quite a triumph" for her father Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who was then Prime Minister, because it enabled the return of lost territory to Pakistan without having to recognise Bangladesh or accept a no-war clause with India.
"I was present when my father negotiated the Shimla Accord with Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1972 to return Pakistani territory lost in the western wing, repatriate the 90,000 prisoners of war, and save 5,000
people threatened with trial by a war crimes tribunal as well as seek a peaceful resolution of disputes between India and Pakistan," she writes.
"Actually, it was quite a triumph for Prime Minister Bhutto because he was dealing with an extremely weak hand yet managed to negotiate peace without having to recognise Bangladesh or accept a no-war clause with India."
"The Simla Accord also called for resumption of trade, over-flights, and communications between the two states. It established the Line of Control in Kashmir (a de facto border), made possible the immediate return of lost territory to West Pakistan."
Benazir said not just East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), but "all of Pakistan would have been threatened" if the US had not come out militarily in favour of West Pakistan.
"My father did succeed... in convincing Washington to save West Pakistan," she wrote.
"President Nixon ordered the Seventh Fleet to Pakistan in the famous 'tilt to Pakistan'. Without that famous 'tilt' all of Pakistan would have been threatened in 1971," she added.
Benazir completed the book shortly before she was assassinated in Rawalpindi on December 27 last year.
(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter and Google+)
displayed with permission. Use of the CNN name and/or logo on or as part of CNN-IBN does not derogate from the intellectual property rights of Cable News Network in respect of them.