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WASHINGTON : Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, in an interview published here Monday, accused President Pervez Musharraf of presiding over a resurgence of extremism and for mismanaging a demoralised military.
"He's got to answer this because as far as I'm concerned some of the people around him have sympathy for the militants," she said in an interview published in the Washington Post and Newsweek.
"Let's not forget, when the Taliban came down from Tora Bora they were on the run - they were absolutely broken. But they have reorganised. They could not do that unless there is some support from the government or intelligence," she said.
Bhutto added that she was "shocked" by the "embedded" support for extremists throughout the country.
"People are scared to talk. They say I am polarising when I say militancy is a problem. A town calls for reinforcements but they are not sent in time. So the town falls," Bhutto said.
"The terrorists invade and start cutting people's heads off, and it terrorises the populations into submission," the former prime minister said, adding that the military thus far has been powerless to counter such incursions.
"The army is being targeted and losing men and is getting demoralised because the public is not with them.
"They say, 'You are fighting America's war.' But we are not fighting for American territory but for Pakistani territory."
Bhutto made her remarks ahead of parliamentary elections next month.
The interview took place last week, ahead of moves by Musharraf on Saturday to end six weeks of emergency rule and restore Pakistan's constitution. - AFP/ch
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