Pakistan

Staggering on: Zardari’s reasons to smile

Supporters say the president has lasted this long owing to opponents' limitations.

Express December 13, 2010

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Zardari’s staunch critics have been betraying the feeling that he is a beleaguered leader and might be on his way out any time after having exhausted almost all, or at least most, options for his long-term political survival.

His supporters, however, have kept on insisting that Zardari still has enough reasons to relax and stretch his lips to maximum to let his hallmark smile play on his face.

“He is in high spirits and has been laughing at those giving deadlines for his ouster,” one of his Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) associates remarked when asked whether the president was worried about his political future. “Not at all…why should he be? He believes he has survived the worst and now there is not much to frighten him,” he continued.

What has apparently been helping Zardari survive till date are the strong limitations his opponents are faced with, more than his personal strengths and political manoeuvres.

The powerful military, a hostile judiciary, an arrogant civilian establishment, lusty political groups based in Punjab and tricky allies make a complicated web of opposition Zardari had been dealing with since he assumed the office back in 2008. Working in isolation or in tandem these forces have every now and then been posing formidable challenges to Zardari to fight with, an outburst many initially thought he would never survive.

But a little over two years down the line it appeared the president has outsmarted all of his detractors — as each of them have very strong limitations to go for an extreme option against him.

The military, as one of the leaked US diplomatic cables revealed recently, did not trust him and at one stage Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani pondered a takeover.

Recently, there have been consistent reports in the media that the military wants to replace the current dispensation with a broad-based, apolitical setup of technocrats.

There isn’t any solid reason why a hue and cry was created and why the military decided not to go ahead with what some reports suggested was a ready-to-execute plan.

Insiders, however, say that the military couldn’t gather enough political support, especially from his stronghold of Punjab, and sufficient international backing to fulfill the desire.

Political expert Harris Khaliq would not agree though. “The military doesn’t care about Punjab or international players when it comes to takeover…that’s why Nawaz Sharif’s government was ousted twice despite him being a popular political leader from the province,” he argued.

“And the same goes for international backing. The military didn’t have any support from the world when it took over in 1999 (Musharraf’s coup).”

The fear for the PML-N, experts believe, is that it was restricted to central Punjab in the last general elections and might be thinking that it would face the same if it either pushed the PPP government out itself or helped military to do so.

The judiciary doesn’t seem to be posing any serious challenge to his government anymore.

Civilian establishment, as it usually goes, always come to the surface against the political governments when it sees the military getting hostile.

And Zardari has so far been able to handle his allies.

“That’s why he has reasons to smile,” his associates said. However, they are unsure how to control the damage corruption allegations and bad governance is doing to the PPP.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 13^th, 2010.

COMMENTS (4)

Agnostic Muslim | 13 years ago | Reply It is inaccurate to suggest that the leaked cables indicated that Kiyani was contemplating a coup - he was only contemplating removing Zardari, given Zardari's confrontation with the Sharif's in Punjab, their disqualification and the dismissal of the Punjab government for no reason. Once Zardari saw reason and compromised on the judiciary issue and restored the Punjab government, the threat of chaos and instability that Zardari's moves had created subsided, and there was no more a reason for Kiyani to ponder Zardari's removal to stabilize the domestic situation. A little more though in your analysis of events would help make better sense of things.

M Usama Kabbir | 13 years ago | Reply The point is he is an elected President and has and will survive because he has the support of a big silent majority that is a victim of urban bias. His power is the power of vote. Someone who has had all the reasons to smile in 13 Year long incarceration and tow assassination attempts, will perhaps never fell short of reasons to smile. What our Urban-Biased Media and so called political analysts do not understand is the power of democracy. The man has ascended to this position through a free, fair process of election and it will not be easy to oust him but at the cost of Federation. Even for a moment if we suppose he is removed from the Presidency, he will be much relieved to start running the Party affairs more easily. Presidential powers have been reduced to a bare minimum now and whoever succeeds him will have a mere ceremonial role as head of the state, until the 'Independent' Supreme Court takes another PCO of course. Nothing will change. Asif Zardari as a Chairman of PPP has enough reasons to smile at his stupid opponents. People who still continue to doubt as to where he derives his power from need to open up a dictionary and re-read the meaning of the word 'Democracy'

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Majid Maqsood | 13 years ago | Reply Well its difficult to extract the sense of article but one has to acknowledge the political acumen of Zardari sb who confronting on many fronts but not ready to bend himself. Faced many crises, crises within crises, created crises and calamities but he is somebody who faced all issues and crises boldly and politically. there were many forces who tried to make differences between PM and President but their all efforts went in vain. there is no doubt about it, there are many achievement of this Govt which perhaps were not easy to achieve but this credit also goes to President who got the succession on all stages. Medai tried so hard to malign the character of President zardari but it also disappointed those who designed to topple the Govt of Asif Ali Zardari, NRO was made a big issue for zardari while there was not role of Zaradri sb but it was made between slain Benazir Bhutto and dictator Parvez Musharraf but nothing has happened, those who politicized it were also disappointed. It was so Hypocritic approach who think MBB did good decisions and she was better ruler but they criticize the NRO. NRO in fact paved the way to go out the Dictator, if it was not signed, there may be today Pervez Musharraf at President Housed. Zaradari sb also played a pivotal role to oust Dictator from Presidency House. 18th amendment provincial amendment giving the political right to the Gilgat Bilstan, and made stakeholders to labors of institutions are the big achievements of Zardari sb. Many agreements with China and bringing investment in likely to be established city Zulifiqarabad may also be added in the achievement of this Govt. it is very unfair who see things of federal Govt, but they dont highlight the bad governance in Punajb and corruption in Susti Roti and Helicopter used by Nawaz Sharif who is not even the member of Parliament. Its high time for all democratic to shun all differences and fight for democracy and for strengthening the institutions.

haider | 13 years ago | Reply ...two points: first is the worst thing the military can do is to take over.... second point, how zardari managed his allies till now, famous urdu idiom say all: EIK HUMAAM MEI SEB NANGEI......

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