Sunil Sethi: Wanted - A sanitised shahzadi

AL FRESCO

One is that during an off-the-record meeting in Dubai in 2003 Benazir told him how she was the "mother of Pakistan's missile programme" and had, in a long overcoat, carried CDs with data on uranium enrichment to North Korea in exchange for information on missile technology. Later, during a subsequent meeting, when Bhatia sought confirmation of the story, she wouldn't repeat it. So there you have it: A story followed by an evasion. It is the sort of thing that is a regular occurrence amongst politicians, masters in the art of backtracking and denial.

But why are Indian Opposition leaders in a twist about what "Mohtarma" Bhutto's followers think? L K Advani has sent across regrets that he released the book, saying that he was unaware of its "disturbing" contents; his NDA colleagues are studies in embarrassed silence. Is it because Advani has given offence to a fellow Sindhi, or rather, Sindh's first family, now back in power? Or could it be that he doesn't read the print before accepting invitations? Either way, it's another case of political doublespeak.

The other thing the PPP finds objectionable are "personal details" of Benazir's life at Oxford: does her wearing casual jeans and T shirts, sipping an occasional glass of white wine and having mostly white boyfriends count as "disturbing"?

In fact, there are plenty of juicy details in the book