Bhutto wants 'peace treaty' between India, Pakistan

WASHINGTON: Self-exiled former prime minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto, has said that she wanted to see a treaty between India and Pakistan in the 60th year of their Independence that "promises" peace for the coming generations.

"...in the 60th year of Pakistan's and India's independence, we would like to see India and Pakistan to come to a treaty that can promise peace to coming generations," Bhutto said during a press conference at the Middle East Institute here.

"Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and I worked to turn the SAARC from a cultural organisation to an economic one during the retreat of December 1988 of SAARC leaders," she said.

She supported the composite dialogue currently under way between the two countries.

"India and Pakistan have come a long  way since 1988 since Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and I tried to build peace in the region and were criticised by parts of the military establishment and also our political opponents," she said in response to a question.

"So it gives me great satisfaction to see that now the establishment and opponents have come on board. While we have not been privy to the composite dialogue we support the composite dialogue so long it is supported by the people of Jammu and Kashmir and we would like to see the composite dialogue make progress. However, if progress is slow on the composite dialogue it should not preclude programmes on Indo-Pak and the South Asian agenda," she added.