Q: It has been noted that the popularity graph of PPP in Sindh has gone down considerably during the recent years. What are the reasons?

BB: Some people do think that the graph of the PPP in Sindh has gone down during recent years. Others believe otherwise noting that the PPP actually won the last elections which were heavily rigged. For me, PPP is the most popular Party in the country, the only Federal Party with the vision, the program, the team and the experience to build a modern Pakistan on democratic lines where there is prosperity and progress for its people.

The PPP secured the largest number of seats in the Sindh Provincial Assembly, secured the largest number of Senate seats and in terms of popular vote also got the largest numbers. This was clearly a victory. Its another matter that unconstitutional use was made of the ISI, Rangers, Provincial and Central Governments to cheat the people of the victory they bestowed on the PPP.

This success was achieved despite the massive manipulations, gerrymandering and rigging by the regime. The hounding of the political opponents, the making of unholy alliances to keep the PPP out, the massive coercion and inducements to break the will of our people were all employed shamelessly and ruthlessly but failed to achieve the purposes of the regime.

Q: It is said that when PPP is out of power, it forcefully pleads the case of Sindh. However, when it was in power, it promoted the case of Punjab versus Sindh. What are your comments?

BB: The PPP is a Federalist Party supporting a federal structure of the state. The pro establishment parties like to argue that the PPP plays the Sindh card. They do this as offensive defence for their policy of marginalising the smaller provinces in the key decision making apparatus. The nationalists in the province are wary of the PPP because its strong and popular base foiled their attempts to gain power on the basis of regionalism.

The PPP and I promote the politics of Federalism believing that poverty, hunger , backwardness, prejudice and discrimination knows no region, no race and no gender. However, because I am from Sindh, there will be those who will exploit my ethnicity to cast confusion on my politics. I take it in my stride having confidence in the political astuteness of the people of Pakistan from Khyber to Karachi.

Sindh is a smaller province and like other smaller provinces has its share of grievances. We believe that Sindh has many genuine grievances, which must be addressed. The grievances include the denial of the Sindh assembly to choose a government of its own and the imposition of a regime on the people of Sindh from Islamabad to act as a handmaiden to Islamabad rather than as the legitimate voice of the people of the province.

When the PPP is in power in the center it respects the principle of Federalism allowing the genuine aspirations of the people of Sindh without undue interference in their affairs. It does this with regard to other provinces too. Its when that principle is violated that a hue and cry is raised.

Q: The people of Sindh and the other two provinces (NWFP and Balochistan) are subservient to Punjab. For example, Sindh's contribution towards National Resources Pool is over 190 billion rupees. In return it is getting only 25/30 billion rupees. Now as an Opposition Party in Sindh, your Party is shedding crocodile tears for Sindh. You were in power twice but Sindh did not get its equitable share in NFC Award and Indus water.

BB: There is a misperception on the issue of the NFC award. According to the Constitution the NFC award is announced after regular interval of five years. The NFC award was already announced when the PPP took over. The PPP government was overthrown by a conspiracy in which the Prime Minister's brother was killed to overthrow the Prime Minister's government. Thus PPP was denied the opportunity of completing its five year term and taking up the NFC which would have come before it in due constitutional course. The Sindh provincial chapter is agitating for the rightful share for the province in the NFC award.

Q: Your Party in real sense is of 'Waderas' and 'Choudhries'. You were in power twice; you did nothing for the abolition of the feudal syndrome in Pakistan? Is it because your family is one of them?

BB: Its wrong to say that the PPP is a Party of the Waderas and the Choudhries. The PPP is a Party of the farmers, laborers, students, women, minorities, the working classes, the middle classes and the youth.

My Family, like others, was once upon a time a feudal unit with holdings of tens of thousands of acres at one time. It is no more so. Under Quaid e Awam feudalism was abolished. The PPP twice reduced the ceiling of land holdings through land reform and gave proprietary rights to the tenants. The Party was the first to strike and strike deeply at the very heart of feudal structure and feudalism in the country.

Now there is a competition for credit between the urban and the rural sector. The label of feudalism is used to deny the farmers their right share in the credit and other resources of the land. This is wrong and one of the reasons of the economic malaise facing the country. The farming sector contributes substantially to the export and earnings of the Nation as well as providing jobs. To overcome unemployment and economic misery, we need to stop those who use "feudalism" as an empty slogan to continue the unfair distribution of resources. Poverty is eating into the social fabric of Pakistan. Water is already in shortage and food shortages in the twenty first century pose a real threat. We need to invest fairly and equitably between the rural and urban sectors.

Q: It appears you had tried every thing to get 'Aashirwad' (Blessings) of the military government of General Pervez Musharraf. In the beginning, you had supported the Army and you are still busy attempting a sort of 'compromise' with the Army?

BB: Yes, the military regime tries to give the impression that the PPP tried to get its Aashirwad. But its wrong in its claims. The military regime was upset with the PPP because, while we welcomed the overthrow of the Nawaz regime as called for by the Grand Democratic Alliance, we also insisted that an interim government be formed to hold fair, free and impartial elections. This the military regime had little intention of doing and thus began the persecution of the PPP to prevent its voice for freedom and democracy.

Recognizing that the country was under a military rule and with the goal of facilitating a transfer to a democratic society, the PPP did keep the doors of dialogue open. The dialogue failed because the two parties involved were unable to come up with a compromise that was acceptable to it. The PPP goal was the democratization of Pakistan and respect for human rights. The military regime was prepared to do the politics of hostage taking and negotiate on the basis of its hostage Senator Zardari. It took great courage to defy the blackmail which is why people respect the PPP. They know the PPP is for the people, by the people and of the people and that the PPP will always put the people of the country and its principles before shady deals and power hungry politics.

Obviously we expect the release of our imprisoned leaders, including Senator Zardari whom the regime holds hostage. We expect our human rights to be respected and acknowledged. I pay tribute to Sen. Zardari for facing his seventh year in prison heroically for the sake of the Party and the people. He could have cut a deal to save his health, his family,his livelihood and he refused to do so sacrificing his happiness for a larger cause, the cause of the emancipation of the people of Pakistan from the clutches of a military dictatorship.

Q: It appears that you have made a 'compromise' on the principles, which Shaheed Bhutto set to ameliorate the lot of the poor people. There was no allegation of corruption on Shaheed Bhutto even from his worst enemies but you are facing a flood of such allegations. Any comments?

BB: I have a different view. Both Shaheed Bhutto and I faced politically motivated criminal charges in a bid to eliminate our leadership although the charges were different. Both of us refused to bow down in the face of those charges.

Q: When you were in power particularly the second term, you forgot the people of Lyari. For example last time you did not make any significant visit to Lyari. The elected members of Lyari did nothing for Lyari and you did not make them accountable?

BB: I am part of the people of Lyari and they are part of me. Lyari is the heart of the PPP support in Karachi and the center of its anti military struggle. The paths of Lyari are wet with the blood of our martyrs amongst whom I too was tear gassed. I did visit Lyari during my second tenure as Prime Minister and many programs of social uplift were introduced. With the overthrow of the PPP government, people of Lyari, like working classes and middle classes elsewhere, were orphaned. However, PPP will be back. PPP is the hope of Lyari and of Pakistan and its impoverished people upon whom the curse of suicide bombings and militancy has been foisted by the unrepresentative rulers.

Q: People of Sindh are still casting their votes for PPP in the name of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. However, your contribution for the people of Sindh is negligible. What do you say?

BB: Every village, every hut and every home in Sindh, as elsewhere, bears the signs and evidence of the development and prosperity that Pakistan Peoples Party under Quaid e Awam and his daughter's leadership brought under different tenures. To give one small example: every child in every village and town was and is being given polio drops to save them from a crippling disease because of the PPP government formed in 1993.

Q: How can you still defend and condone what all your husband has done while in power? It is only because he is your dear husband? Does loyalty come before truth?

BB: I do defend my husband because truth is important and so is loyalty. I am glad and heartened that so do the people of the Party and of Pakistan. I consider Asif framed by a powerful establishment bent upon overthrowing my government by hitting at my husband. If my husband cared about money, he would have done a deal with the government to save his businesses. He refused all deals. Asif cares about carrying on the mission of Quaid e Awam in building a modern, democratic, prosperous Pakistan. The venom of the regime against Asif for being the husband of a woman leader is evident from the fact that he when he was freed on bail in a 20th case, a 21st case was made against him.

For me Asif is a prisoner of conscience and has been given the title of 'Mard-i-Hur'.