NEW YORK, Oct 7: Former Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto, called for a “broad-based coalition consensus government” in Afghanistan which should be supported by both India and Pakistan and asked both countries to create conflict management mechanism to ease tensions on the borders.

She also called on that the international community stick around and help in rebuilding the Afghan society after the global coalition has achieved its objectives in Afghanistan.

In an interview with Dawn, on Saturday Ms Bhutto said that “it is an opportunity for Pakistan to try and clean up our own society so we can put an end to the sectarian violence and it is also an opportunity for all of us to ensure that they are no private militias.”

‘It is also time for us to consider military and security reforms for a new age and it is also time for us to stop seeing a government in Afghanistan as a puppet for we need one for our conflict with India which in turn leads India to believe that it needs a puppet government in Afghanistan as against Pakistan,” she expounded.

Ms Bhutto said “it’s about time that we think through how we can structure peace and build pillars of peace and stability and we can do that If we accept the will of Afghan people, “

Asked to comment on recent Indian position on the Kashmir issue Ms Bhutto called upon Islamabad and New Delhi to undertake conflict management measures to diffuse tensions in the valley as the situation was too dangerous for two nuclear powered states

Ms Bhutto said India and Pakistan have different perspectives on finding solution to the Kashmir dispute and stressed that they should be able to agree on a common solution which is to establish open and safe borders between Jammu and Kashmir to ease tensions before talks on the dispute.

She felt that the involvement of groups like Lashkar-i-Taiba and Jaish-i-Mohammed can damage the cause of Kashmiri peoples struggle she said that in order to keep the struggle indigenous both countries should encourage participation of All Parties Hurriyet Conference. She said that there are reports that in some extremists groups like Lashkar have people other than Kashmiris participating in the struggle which muddy the objectives of the Kashmiri people.

Ms Bhutto who has wholeheartedly endorsed Gen Pervez Musharraf’s decision to support US led coalition against global terrorism and to get Osama bin Laden, hoped that a broad-based consensus government acceptable to the Afghan people should be allowed to be established in Kabul.

Although she was reluctant to talk about the prospects of election in Pakistan stipulated for Oct 2002, since the situation has changed dramatically, Ms Bhutto conceded “well there is a school of thought that believes that since the situation has changed so dramatically the military rule should continue but the another school which believes that democracy is the only way that the country can move forward and in fact it is through transfer of power to the people can Pakistan gain strength and recognition on the international stage.

While expressing hope that the elections could be held on schedule Ms Bhutto said that there is an understanding that the military rule will lead to collapse of the civil institutions.

Asked whether she would return to Pakistan to participate in the elections despite threats from the military government that she could be arrested, Ms Bhutto said “Yes I intend to contest the elections personally .”

She added “May I remind you that PPP has never given the date of my return deliberately.”

The reason is simple “there is a subjective desire on my part to return and there is an objective desire of the regime doing its best to prevent my mobility.”

She suggested “obviously the two have to meet at some level to announce the date” of her return.

As regards the reports of a deal struck between PPP and Gen Pervez Musharraf recently, Ms Bhutto said “there was no deal struck.” She did acknowledge that some suggestions were made regards to her participation in the elections, but declared “My party has rejected them.”

During her New York visit Ms Bhutto visited the candle light vigil being held at Union Square in Manhattan and was particularly taken to a site of New York City’s policemen memorial site. A horde of newspaper reporters and television crew descended on the site during her visit there.