CoD aimed at system of checks & balances: BB
DM Monitoring

NEW YORK—Former Premier Binazir Bhutto has said that her party and the Pakistan Muslim League (N) signed the “Charter of Democracy”, which is aimed at creating a political system of checks and balances.
In Pakistan, politics is a zero-sum game, but we believe that there should be a place within the system for divergent political views,” she told the Newsweek in an exclusive interview.
“A democratic society will also create tolerance among the young people in Pakistan who are confused by conflicting messages. On the one hand, they hear about the beauty of an accountable, transparent governance system that empowers ordinary people. But their reality is that power flows from the gun. We need to reverse the culture of violence and replace it with a culture of law and tolerance,” Ms Bhutto said.
“I traveled to Saudi Arabia last year to meet with Mr. Sharif. I told him that [people] inside and outside Pakistan are concerned that both of us spend so much time fighting each other [and] that if democracy was restored, we might have another round of senseless political battles. We needed to send a signal that we’ve learned our lessons and that next time it will be different. We came up with a “Charter of Democracy” [which is] aimed at creating a political system of checks and balances. In Pakistan, politics is a zero-sum game, but we believe that there should be a place within the system for divergent political views. A democratic society will also create tolerance among the young people in Pakistan who are confused by conflicting messages. On the one hand, they hear about the beauty of an accountable, transparent governance system that empowers ordinary people. But their reality is that power flows from the gun. We need to reverse the culture of violence and replace it with a culture of law and tolerance,” she narrated.
To a question about corruption during her two tenures in power, she said the allegations have been made to destroy my reputation. “Despite the rules being stacked against me, none of the courts were able to convict me. I have always proclaimed my innocence, my husband has proclaimed his, and neither of us have been convicted, nor has any other member of my family. These corruption charges have been made to tarnish my image and deny Pakistan a democratic alternative. Since 1950, corruption charges have been made against every civilian prime minister-I believe it’s to divert attention from the institutionalized corruption of the military.”
About India-Pakistan relations, she said irrespective of the differences on Kashmir, India and Pakistan have to move forward. “One of the key ways that we can move forward is by copying Europe’s example. Europe was torn apart by war until it decided to build a common market. I’ve spoken to Indian leaders on this, and within Pakistan and India there’s an emerging consensus that while we have differences, these differences should not stop us from economic development and cooperation in terms of trade and travel. But obviously we need safe borders. While militants hold guns in their hands and disturb the peace, it’s very difficult to get safe and open borders. Attacking militancy is very important, not only vis-à-vis Afghanistan, but also vis-à-vis India.”
About the state of women’s rights in Pakistan, she said there’s a very big debate on the role of women in the Muslim world. Some claim that women must be kept behind closed doors, but I argue that Islam came to emancipate women, not to repress them. The time has come when we within the Muslim world need to realize that each of us has a right to interpret religion as we wish, and we do not need clerics or the state to tell us how to worship.