New book reveals that Musharraf-Bhutto conversation was recorded

New York, August 9 : Benazir Bhutto's phone calls with President General Pervez Musharraf prior to her arrival in Pakistan, were taped by the US intelligence agencies, in a bid to "play under-the-table, cut-throat games more effectively", reveals a new book.

Pulitzer Prize winning US journalist Ron Suskind says in his book, "The Way of the World" has fair portion of Musharraf-Bhutto conversations including Musharraf's quote "You should understand something, your security is based on the state of our relationship".

According to The News, Suskind writes that Bhutto's return to Pakistan was strongly backed by the Condoleezza Rice-led State Department and equally opposed by Vice President Dick Cheney who considered Bhutto "complicated and unpredictable".

Whenever Bhutto was harsh on Musharraf, the US ambassador in Islamabad advised her to "tone down any criticism of Musharraf", according to the book.

The author also said that Bhutto often regretted the fact that Vice President Cheney never told Musharraf to "behave" and kept pressing her to come to terms with him.

During his telephonic conversations with Bhutto, Musharraf refused to entertain her demand to revoke a provision barring her from becoming Prime Minister for a third time, to which Bhutto said: "What you can give me (then), may be some real reform in the election commission?"

Musharraf said: "She should not be hoping for much there (reforms), either".

The book reveals that US intelligence had been listening to her calls for months.

ANI