When I met Bhutto for coffee at Manhattan's Pierre Hotel last week, she was much softer in criticism of Musharraf now that she is negotiating with him. She is pledged to secrecy about even admitting that they met. But sources close to Bhutto say that on July 29 they met in Abu Dhabi -- her principal residence in exile. They were alone, one-on-one, for three-and-a-half hours until each summoned aides to brief them. "Gen. Musharraf has promised confidence-building measures that have not yet been undertaken," she told me. "I await him to fulfill his promises."
Thus, questions remain unanswered. Shall Pakistan's voter rolls be cleansed to guarantee a fair election? Shall Musharraf be named president by the existing electoral college prior to national elections? Shall corruption charges against Bhutto be pursued? Shall the two-term limitation for prime minister be lifted for her? Shall Bhutto return before the election, which Musharraf opposes?
After meeting Musharraf, Bhutto and her three children joined her husband, Asif Ali Zardari (under medical attention in New York for a heart condition resulting from his imprisonment under Musharraf), for a vacation. Bhutto also met in Manhattan with Zalmay Khalilzad, U.S. ambassador to the UN, to discuss the complicated situation. This is not the time for her to criticize the Americans, but she is known to be impatient about the U.S. forbearance toward and persistent support of Musharraf.
Bhutto was kept busy in New York by the American news media that ignored her for years but now craved interviews. It is not internal Pakistani power struggles that interest Americans. "The war on terror must be won in Pakistan," she told me. She wants to make Pakistan a democratic ally in that war, confronting extremists in the madrassas "that brainwash our children into intolerance."
She leaves this week for her flat in London, hoping for word from Musharraf fulfilling his promises made in Abu Dhabi. Whether he does or not, she is determined to return to Pakistan to promote democracy and fight extremism.