Benazir’s widower, the corrupt Polo playboy, brings new heights of chaos to Pakistani politics
Who would have even imagined in their wildest fantasies that things would come to such a low? That someone of Zardari’s stature would become the new Quaid (leader) of the people of Pakistan? As it is increasingly becoming clear, if there is anything worse then having Musharraf controlling the state machinery of the country, it is Zardari.
Begherat and besharam (shameless) is the only way to best describe the antics of a man who once denied having a mansion in Surrey, England. “How can anyone think of buying a mansion in England when people in Pakistan don’t even have a roof over their heads?” he used to say and then later admitted in 2004 that the mansion was indeed his.
During Benazir’s years in office, this spoilt playboy worked hard to earn himself the title of Mr Ten Per Cent. As a reward for this he was appointed the Environment Minister by his democratically-minded wife. The ecologically-tuned Zardari caused outrage by ordering the bulldozing of protected woodland near the official residence in Islamabad to make way for a new Polo field. A senior government official was fired for complaining about the use of public funds to back the project.
His reported showdown with Pakistan’s hero advocate for judicial restoration Aitzaz Ahsan, has not only worried members of coalition partner Pakistan Muslim League but also from within the Pakistan Peoples Party. Further the coalition with the virulent MQM (Muttahida Qaumi Movement) seems to be the straw which has broken the camels back. National unity does not mean one joins hands with thugs who had obstinately backed Pakistan’s hated dictator. “The Sindhi people have not given a mandate to Zardari to thrust upon them his personal agenda of humiliation in the name of reconciliation,” a PPP leader is quoted as saying. “We strongly oppose and condemn the PPP-MQM coalition in Sindh.”
It is critical that the new government back the lawyer’s movement. A more independently minded judiciary has brought hope to even skeptics of a new and potentially dynamic reformation from within the system. Even Nawaz Sharif with his short comings has realized that the people will not stand for anything short of a complete restoration of Pakistan’s judges who were wiped out of their offices in one fell swoop by the dictator, like off a chess board.
Bhutto is a powerful brand in Pakistan. However the Zardari name is another story. It is said that one of the reasons Benazir choose Zardari to be her husband was because of his sense of humor. Somehow he has failed to even bring a smile, much less laughter to the faces of the Pakistani nation. One can only sense the fuming anger.
