CSS Forums - Hamid Mir analysis about present situation

You cannot afford more mistakes, Mr Zardari

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari is definitely under a lot of pressure but he is in a fighting mood. He is waiting for the detailed verdict of the Supreme Court on the NRO and then he may come out openly not only against some judges but also against some elements within the armed forces.

He is under lot of pressure to resign after the Supreme Court of Pakistan rejected the NRO on December 16 but he is loudly asking: “If the NRO was bad then why has nothing been done about the person who issued the NRO?” What Zardari forgets is that the same Supreme Court has already declared Musharraf a usurper on July 31, 2009 but it was Zardari who never tried Musharraf under Article 6 of the constitution for treason due to the fear of Pakistan Army.

Apparently the Supreme Court declared the NRO unconstitutional and ordered the government to restart cases against Zardari in Swiss courts because Zardari cannot be tried inside Pakistan as he enjoys constitutional immunity as president. But still the PPP appears to be in a state of panic that was visible in its CEC meeting PPP, in which a senior leader Khurshid Shah made a profound statement saying that “we (Sindhis) have already sacrificed two prime ministers for the federation but will offer no more sacrifices for the federation in the future.”

It is important to note that lawyer’s leader Aitzaz Ahsan is standing with Zardari in this difficult time. Aitzaz is trying to avert a head on collision between PPP and Supreme Court. He is not ready to agree with those in PPP who are claiming that Supreme Court is heading towards a judicial martial law. Aitzaz Ahsan is telling them that Justice Iftikhar will never ever think to overstep his constitutional limits and he will not allow anyone to violate the constitution again.

Rightly or wrongly but Zardari is sure that some people within the judiciary, Army and also in the media have hatched a conspiracy to overthrow him in December. He informed some of his friends immediately after the court verdict: “I know they are putting pressure on me to resign because they cannot impeach me but I will not resign, I will fight, and I am ready to die like my wife Benazir Bhutto.”

When this correspondent sought the opinion of a journalist, belonging to that section of the media whom Zardari blamed for the conspiracy, he reminded Zardari that why he forgot that the rulers when in hot waters level such allegations. He said there is no need to go too far, as Musharraf who was chief of army staff and later became powerful president also levelled such allegations. He said when Musharraf took unconstitutional steps, all media particularly that section of the media opposed him tooth and nail. Musharraf and his supporters who included some generals complained against media particularly that section of the media and levelled all kinds of accusations. Musharraf repeatedly claimed that media particularly that section of the media is conspiring against the army. The former dictator alleged that some members of the judiciary and media are part of external plots against his government.

Zardari is also talking about late President of Chile Salvador Allende who died in his presidential palace while resisting a martial law on September 11, 1973. Zardari is definitely not Allende but he is mentally prepared to die in the President House like Allende to become a martyr.

Recently Zardari was disappointed when once Nawaz Sharif’s accountability Czar Saifur Rehman broke his silence after many years and said that cases filed by him in Swiss Courts against Zardari were based on solid evidence. Zardari sent a message to Nawaz Sharif asking if this was his (NS) style of reconciliation in which Saifur Rehman had been unleashed. Sharif responded through a messenger saying: “Trust me, I am not part of any conspiracy against you, I am not in touch with Saifur Rehman for a long time.” In the meanwhile PML-N MNA Shahid Khaquan Abbasi was given the task of silencing Saifur Rehman.

Nawaz Sharif does not want Zardari to resign. He is ready to cooperate with him but he cannot trust Zardari blindly due to the bad experiences in the recent months. Nawaz Sharif wants Zardari to call the session of the Parliament as soon as possible and move ahead on the pending constitutional amendments.

Zardari has called the meetings of National Assembly and Senate on January 4 and is planning to implement the Charter of Democracy as soon as possible with the help of Nawaz Sharif. This charter was signed between Nawaz Sharif and late Benazir Bhutto in 2006 in London when both the leaders were in exile. According to this charter Zardari will have to surrender his constitutional powers to the prime minister.

The political survival of Zardari and Gilani now is in the hands of Nawaz Sharif. No political change in Pakistan could take place without the support of Nawaz Sharif. Right now Nawaz Sharif is in London for medical check up of his wife and will come back soon to meet Zardari. Both are planning to introduce a new constitutional bill to remove the “dirt” which was placed by Musharraf into the constitution through the 17th amendment. If they can remove this dirt in January, then half of the troubles of Zardari will go because the whole media focus will shift from Zardari to PM Gilani.

President Zardari also agreed in front of some of his friends that the Supreme Court verdict had actually united his party again and his prime minister is now fully on board with him to face any situation. Some members of the PPP from Sindh proposed to him that PPP should resign from the government and should sit in the opposition and see how the Supreme Court, the Army and the media run the country.

Zardari should not listen to these hardliners. He should not think of fighting the Supreme Court. The best course would be to implement the court verdict on one hand and implement the famous Charter of Democracy on the other hand with the help of Nawaz Sharif.

He should agree on a deadline with Nawaz Sharif for the implementation of CoD. All the powerful intelligence agencies will be accountable to the Parliament after the implementation of CoD. This historical document signed in London is the best solution for all the big political problems of Pakistan.

Zardari must also be aware that people like Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, who are creating misunderstandings between him and Nawaz Sharif, belong to the Musharraf era and this baggage is a serious threat to democracy. Is it not? People like Salman Taseer are behaving like suicide bombers. Zardari must distance himself from all these political suicide bombers who have a record of ditching the PPP again and again.