 |
| |
WEEKLY
SECTIONS |
 |
 |
 |
|
| The president, his massive support, the big disappointment |
|
|
|
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
By Shaheen Sehbai
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari began his tenure as a popular head of state in an ideal setting, with all his political friends and foes strongly supporting him and the entire bureaucratic and military establishment ready to give him a chance.
For him it was a great day, the best day of his life, but somehow the new president did not let the people of Pakistan celebrate the day with him, as he chose not to make any major announcement, did not address any of the burning issues which have divided the society and offered them no hope on his debut, though he may try to do so later.
With top military, political, business, media and civil service leaders, in others words the entire ruling elite of the country, gathered at his swearing-in ceremony to express their solidarity and support, Zardari has been put on the spot as now he has to deliver.
Never before has any one person received such support, across the board, except probably General Pervez Musharraf when he had toppled Nawaz Sharif on October 12, 1999. Then the general was almost in a similar position, able to turn anything around if he so wanted or had the ability to do so.
Musharraf then had spelled out a seven-point programme, which in the end turned out to be a farce as he was not interested in anything but prolonging his own rule. Zardari, with almost universal support of the country, is in a similar position but he has chosen not to make dramatic decisions or to raise unnecessary hopes.
Some of the very divisive issues which many believed he may try to address in the beginning of his tenure, such as the restoration of the deposed judges or balancing powers of the president vs the prime minister, were not touched by him on his inaugural appearance before the media, the country and the world.
In fact, for unexplained reasons, he diluted the impact of his own day of triumph by associating President Hamid Karzai in the solemn and historic proceedings of the day. The joint news conference of the two presidents was almost an anti-climax as a great day in the lives of Pakistanis was turned into a petty bilateral tennis match with each of them lobbing the ball in the other's court, mixed with some pleasant-sounding rhetoric.
While the presence of Karzai at his oath ceremony was understandable and welcome, there was absolutely no need and justification for the joint press conference. This was the day when the new President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan should have given the disturbed and expectant nation his vision of hope, his plan of action to bring political stability, his display of magnanimity to put burning issues behind him, his capacity to rise to the occasion and send a message of harmony, peace, stability and his readiness to show that democracy was a much better concept of governance than a one-man rule.
Almost none of this happened on President Zardari's inauguration and not just the hundreds of media men but the entire nation was left guessing what had gone wrong and where. There were silent whispers in the air that Zardari would announce something big in a day or two but that would not have the big day impact. It would be just another series of promises which many may look at with suspicion.
The first day of his presidency, a height of political power which anyone can achieve, should have been used to reinvent him, as many analysts and political observers have written about. President Zardari needs an image makeover, a political makeover in fact, to be able to govern with confidence and give the people of Pakistan the assurance that they are in safe hands.
It would have been perfect to say that during the political process, some promises were made and broken but he was sorry for betraying the people's trust. He should have offered a simple and unqualified apology and would have moved on to address the issues that have denied the country the stability which the Feb 18 elections should have brought.
He should have talked honestly and candidly to Mian Nawaz Sharif to persuade him to attend his oath-taking ceremony as an agreement was possible between the camp of deposed chief justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry and the Zardari government to resolve the judges’ issue.
I know with authority that this agreement was based on the premise that like other deposed judges, Mr Chaudhry should also be administered the oath of Chief Justice under the Constitution and very strong signals had been given by the lawyers leaders that they could have persuaded the deposed CJ to agree.
The only question was what to do with Chief Justice Dogar and since he has only a few months of his tenure left, President-elect Zardari could have persuaded him to resign or retire with full benefits and that would have allowed CJ Iftikhar Chaudhry to administer the oath of office to the new president. It would have been a new world in Pakistan and Mr Zardari would have been on top of it.
Some questions about the new oath were discussed by the lawyers' camp but they were also not difficult to answer. One question was whether the deposed CJ should be given oath as an SC judge first and then as the new CJ. The answer which was agreeable to the CJ camp was that both the oaths could have been administered at the same time, at the same ceremony and the issue would have been over, giving President Zardari the full support of everyone and a clean slate to begin his tenure.
But all this is now history as Zardari chose to take his oath from a controversial and disputed Chief Justice, something which will go down in history as a negative for his presidency, howsoever successful it may turn out to be in the end.
Still the country and the nation are waiting for President Zardari, PM Gilani, Speaker Mirza, their chief ministers in Sindh, Balochistan and NWFP, to come up with something which the people can celebrate. They say Zardari has got his Big Day, when will the people, in whose name he rules, get their break.
|
|
|
| Back
| Send
this story to Friend | Print
Version |
|
|
‘Al-Qaeda, Taliban leaders not in Pakistan’
ISLAMABAD: Strongly reacting to some of the reports of the presence of al-Qaeda and Taliban leadership in Pakistan by the US newspapers and some intelligence agencies, President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday said more |
|
|
Mulla Omar in Karachi, claims WT
WASHINGTON: Mulla Muhammed Omar, the leader of the Afghan Taliban, has fled Quetta and found refuge from the potential US attacks in Karachi with the assistance of Pakistan’s intelligence, the Washington Times more |
|
|
Will PM intervene or will robber barons kill CCP?
By Mehtab Haider
ISLAMABAD: The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) has warned that it will cease to exist and its actions will become invalid in case the government fails to re-promulgate the Competition Ordinance on or b more |
|
|
Eight militants die in US drone attack
By our correspondent
MIRAMSHAH: Eight militants were killed and two others injured when a US drone hit a house in the Michikhel area in North Waziristan on Friday, the second such attack in less than 24 hours.
Tribal sources sai more |
|
|
19 militants killed in SWA, Khyber, Bajaur clashes
By our correspondents
WANA/BARA/KHAR: Nineteen militants were killed in clashes with security forces in South Waziristan, Khyber and Bajaur tribal regions on Friday.
Tribal and officials sources said five militants were kille more |
|
|
|
Pakistan has nothing to fear from India: Singh
WASHINGTON: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said India is ready to resolve all outstanding issues with the country on the condition that it will not allow its territory to be used against its neighbour more |
|
|
|
Qureshi wants result-oriented dialogue with India
MULTAN: Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmud Qureshi said on Friday Pakistan wanted meaningful and result-oriented bilateral negotiations with India.
Addressing a press conference at the airport here, h more |
|
|
|
Only 15 pc believe Pakistan is going right
By Gibran Peshimam
KARACHI: Pakistan’s youths are losing confidence in the future and a mere 15 per cent believe that the country is heading in the right direction, while 72 per cent feel economically worse off than a year ago. O more |
|
|
|
Mustafa Jatoi passes away
ISLAMABAD: Former caretaker prime minister Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi breathed his last at the St Marry Hospital in London on Friday after a protracted illness. He was 78.
He leaves behind six sons and three d more |
|
|
|
Slaughter of animals, NRO beneficiaries begins on Eid
By Muhammad Ahmad Noorani
ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) will soon announce its strategy to deal with the cases which are going to reopen on Nov 28, a NAB spokesman told The News on Friday.
“The NAB chairman more |
|
|
|
WFP, Rescue 15 attacks’ mastermind arrested
By Shakeel Anjum
ISLAMABAD: The Capital Police on Friday arrested the mastermind behind the attacks on the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the Rescue 15 offices in Islamabad.
The terrorist, identified as Jamshed Ahmad more |
|
|
|
Mushahid asks Karzai not to allow use of Afghan land against Pakistan
By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Secretary General Pakistan Muslim League-Q Mushahid Hussain Sayed on Friday asked President Hamid Karzai not to allow the use of Afghan land against Pakistan under Indian designs.
“Pakistan wa more |
|
|
|
No Indo-Pak FMs meeting: Nirupama
NEW DELHI: India on Friday said no meeting had been scheduled between foreign ministers of Pakistan and India in Port of Spain later this month on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting ( more |
|
|
|
US to tighten control of Afghan contracts: Gates
HALIFAX: US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said on Friday that the United States must tighten control of Afghan development contracts as a first step towards stemming rampant corruption.
“The reality is more |
|
|
|
China has stake in Kashmir: Mirwaiz
News Desk
HELD SRINAGAR: As he plans to visit China, Hurriyat Conference leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday kicked up a controversy by saying that Beijing has a “direct link” with the Kashmir issue, drawing strong obje more |
|
|
|
Clinton favours Indo-Pak dialogue on Kashmir
WASHINGTON: The United States is encouraging Pakistan and India to resume their dialogue to address Kashmir and other outstanding disputes but any solution must come from the two countries, Secretary of State H more |
|
|
|
Competition Commission forces PIA to fly fair
By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Silent prayers of many Hajis have apparently been answered as the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) has ordered PIA to refund within 60 days the excessive fares charged from the passengers, wh more |
|
|
|
Attack on policemen in Peshawar
By Javed Aziz Khan
PESHAWAR: The death toll in the bomb attack on police party in Yakatoot rose to three after a sub-inspector and another cop succumbed to injuries at the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) on Friday as the city mourned more |
|
|
|
‘Musharraf funnelling money to improve image’
ISLAMABAD: Former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf has reportedly funnelled a large amount of money to his former aides in the country in order to improve his image, as he is planning a return to the c more |
|
|
|
Sen Lugar’s wife arrested, charged with drinking, hit-and-run
News Desk
WASHINGTON: The wife of Republican Senator Richard G Lugar was arrested in the suburb of McLean on Wednesday night after crashing into a parked car, and she was charged with drunk driving and hit-and-run, the F more |
|
|
|
briefs...
Bombers kill 23 in Afghanistan
HERAT: Bomb attacks on Friday killed 23 people in Afghanistan, a deadly start to President Hamid Karzai’s second term that underscored spiralling insecurity nine years into more |
|
|
|
ISSN 1563-9479 
