Conspiracies continue to grow like mushrooms

Zardari's sudden landing Sunday night should rather be interpreted as an ominous scuttling of plan-A.

Only an incurable optimist may imagine that Asif Ali Zardari’s landing in Karachi indicates that decisive forces of our state are now ready to forget and forgive ‘Memogate.’ His sudden landing Sunday night should rather be interpreted as an ominous scuttling of plan-A. This plan promised some more months to the Gilani-led government after extracting the resignation from Zardari on health grounds. His leaving the presidency without much ado could somehow facilitate elections for half the Senate seats in March 2012. Now we don’t need to wait for the ides of March.

If in doubt, carefully read the brief statement that the ISPR was forced to issue. It clearly suggests that both the Army chief and DG ISI continue sticking to the position they had presented before the Supreme Court in writing on ‘memogate.’ Zardari was not nodded by General Kayani to return home.

Even without the said statement, the Supreme Court’s proceedings in the morning forced many to imagine that things were moving to a stage where Prime Minister Gilani could be asked to explain as to why he did not move against the law minister and the rest, who used a government building to pass critical remarks against the apex court’s decision on Dec 1. Already, he was found resisting the orders to formally ask the Swiss government for revealing details of accounts Asif Zardari and his spouse were allegedly using to stash millions earned through corrupt practices.

I have it from highly reliable sources that Asfandyar Wali Khan was sitting with the President on Dec 1, when Babar Awan walked in to announce the Supreme Court’s decision of directing the Army and ISI chiefs to submit their positions on memogate. The ANP leader had been sitting with the President for three hours. During the initial hour of this meeting, President Zardari behaved in a very aggressive manner. He appeared holding the firm opinion that a game had been set to get him in the name of ‘memogate.’ Asfandyar employed all his diplomatic skills to convince him that there was no need to take a combative stance. Eventually, he did succeed to cool the president, who went down the memory lane to recall his carefree days at Cadet College of Pataro.

The bad news broken by Awan revived the paranoia driven anger in Zardari. The ANP leader had to work hard to convince the president that he should call General Kayani on the green phone placed next to him. He and Kayani should rather be thinking of presenting a well-thought-out position before the Supreme Court. After tough resistance, Zardari did make the suggested call.

There, however, was no way to convince Asif Ali Zardari that a few PPP legislators and ministers must not rebut the Supreme Court’s decision through holding a press conference. Since the idea could not be dropped, Asfandyar Wali forcefully suggested that Maula Bux Chandio, Khurshid Shah, Qamar Zaman Kaira and Raza Rabbani should address the intended press conference. The ANP leader also suggested that the Prime Minister should summon a joint sitting of parliament, as demanded by the PML-N, for the sole objective of taking up the memo scandal. After a long and heated discussion, President Zardari agreed to both the suggestions. But he did not want Raza Rabbani to address the press conference along with others.

Asfandyar Wali then left to attend a high profile conference in India and during his stay there found out that Babar Awan took on the Supreme Court decision on Dec 1. He also was surprised to find out that Zardari had left Pakistan for SOS treatment. The developments since then have certainly put the president in a combative mode.

The PML-N members were far more agitated, however, over blocking of roads and highways leading to Islamabad by enraged citizens of Rawalpindi on Monday while protesting over low pressure of gas supplied to their homes. Shakeel Awan and Hanif Abbassi delivered bombastic speeches over the issue. Then Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan took the mike to support his colleagues. Within minutes, however, he switched his ire to the Prime Minister who told us the other day that “memogate is no more an issue.”

Nisar kept insisting that Gilani’s remarks amounted to undermining the prestige of the Supreme Court. We surely are heading to a stage where ‘minus-one (read Zardari) formula’ may not work. Gilani and his government have to pay the price as well.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 20^th, 2011.