Adil Najam
As one reads the news from Pakistan and looks at the picture below, one cannot but help wonder what are these three gentlemen thinking; about each other and also about their own future?
In a land where speculation replaces analysis and conspiracy outdoes strategy, word is ripe that the eventual “unsteady” state might be one where we have a Prime Minister named Asif Zardari and a President named Nawaz Sharif? Could that really happen? And what where would that leave Yousuf Raza Gillani? What does Gen. Kiyani have to say about any of this? And what about Gen. Musharraf? He seems to have been relegated for the moment to attending cricket matches and lighting Olympic torches but one cannot image that to be a permanent occupation for him.
Noises from Islamabad seem to suggest that the musical chairs view of Pakistan politics is becoming dominant again. With the bye-elections around the corner, this is only to be expected.
According to The News, “Asif Ali Zardari has announced that he will be taking part in the coming by-elections and, if need be, he can become the prime minister.” The way this and other news items are worded, one wonders exactly what is meant by “if need be”? However, when one reads and listens to the actual BBC Urdu interview with Asif Zardari it seems quite clear that he is NOT (at least, not yet) stating any intent to become Prime Minister.
Asif Zardari was, in this case, responding to a somewhat badgering interviewer who first asked if the Party Chairperson should become Prime Minister; at which Asif Zardari responded that no, this was not necessary. On a follow-up question he seems to say that the Party Chairperson could become Prime Minister without in anyway signaling his own intent to do so. In listening to the interview and how the questions were phrased, it is not clear to me whether he could or should have responded differently. This does not mean that a “Prime Minister Zardari” may not become a reality. It does mean that the current spate of headlines on this should be taken less seriously than I first too them.
Of course, Aitizaz Ahsan has also filed for a ticket for the bye-elections and – if given the ticket and elected – one has to wonder just what role the PPP woudl actually give him or he would take. His stature in Pakistan politics has changed greatly over the last year and it is notquite clear just how accomodating the PPP may be of this new stature and the expectations it raises.
Meanwhile, the ambitions are much more clear on the PML-N side. Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif and Hamza Shahbaz are all ready to file their nomination papers and have made quite clear that once elected they will run the show – at least in the Punjab – directly. The issue, of course, is that at least Nawaz Sharif’s aspirations have to be greater than just the Punjab.
I dont think Pakistani Prime ministry is such a La La land that any person with little sense would salivate for,
unless you have biggest ego in the world
or you have no respect for you privacy
or you wont mind living off the foriegn aid while so many other greedy eyes after it,
or you are a thick skin and dont mind to rule while economy is a disaster,
or you dont care the crazy comments, speculations, nonsense conspiracy theories,
or meeting the foriegn dignitories, who are more alliquent, articulate and speak better english than you
or able to turn a blind eye on terrorist activities
or have a magic wand to kill the illetracy overnight,
or able to avoid the wishes for the religious revolution.
I think I have more freedom in the world to comment whatever I want unless it is trimmed respectfully. :)
@Adil Najam,
angrezi ki pevandkari pay ma’azrat !!!
Phansa howa ik Pir, jo”waqq’at” nehein rakhta, (value)
Har aik ta’awiz ka wo ” gandah” nehein rakhta
Bus, bakra ne ban ja’aiy, bechara Pir-e-Ghareeb,
Qable-az-Eid, siyyatda’n kabhi, Roza nehien rakhta (?)
Jab a’aiy ga samajh mein apki, meharba’n ” Mian”
Keh ye Zalim to, mehaz, ten percent nehein rakhta
Jooton mein ab bataiy gi daal, ai’y ma’soom awam,
keh Feudal, apni dookanon pay, atta nehien rakhta
Rafay Kashmiri
adil najam, thank you for that candid comment and assessment. I also just heard the interview and agreevwith you entirely.
A senior colleague, and someone whose political acumen I have great respect for, has alerted me to the original BBC Urdu interview from which Asif Zardari’s statement above has been derived. The original story in Urdu can be viewed here:
http://tinyurl.com/3hbh3d
The audio recording of the interview can be heard here:
http://tinyurl.com/4avjp7
In listening to the interview it is indeed clear that Asif Zardari is NOT saying what most Pakistani news report (and BBC Urdu’s own headline) seem to be suggesting. He was asked if the Party Chairman should automatically become Prime Minister; he responded that this was not necessary. He was then asked if this meant he was categorically promising that as Chairperson he would not become Prime Minister; and he responds that the Chairperson can become Prime Minister if needed. However, there is nothing in the tone or the substance of the interview that suggests that this was a statement of intent on his part. It seems much more of a case of a journalist wanting and “creating” a headline.
Many have been impressed by the tone and substance of what Zardari has been saying and I continue to believe that he should be afforded every chance to prove that this new look is real and lasting. I certainly hope that it is.
The discussion on whether he will or will not assume the Prime Ministerial office remains a real and important discussion, but on this one and now I think we need to give him the benefit of the doubt. I think that those in the media, and those like us who live off the media, should also do the same.
(Some slight changes in the post have been made to reflect the above).
The other one, who could be the next President is not in the picture; may be the deposed CJP.