Asif Ali Zardari becomes the President of Pakistan today after winning the presidential election. He secured 479 votes out of 702. His opponents, Retired Chief Justice Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddiqui received 153 elctoral votes and Senator Mushahid Hussein received 43. Asif’s victory in three provinces is overwhelming, especially in Sindh where his opposing candidates couldn’t get a single vote. Only in Punjab Assembly Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddiqi is able to get more votes than Asif.
The vote by the two houses of parliament and four provincial assemblies forms the 1,170-member, but 702-vote, electoral college. According to a Dawn update:
‘Asif Ali Zardari secured 281 votes out of the 426 valid votes polled in the parliament,’ chief election commissioner Qazi Mohammad Farooq said. He has secured 458 out of 702 electoral college votes, according to partial Election Commission results.
Asif Zardari is the 13th President of Pakistan. The ones who have been President before him include: Iskandar Mirza, Ayub Khan, Yahya Khan, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry, Zia-ul-Haq, Ghulam Ishaq Khan, Waseem Sajjad, Farooq Laghari, Waseem Sajjad, Rafiq Tarar and Pervaiz Musharraf. Waseem Sajjad has twice been the President of Pakistan.
Why should Zardari be the only reviled and accused criminal?
Meenglaji;
The others were just thieves. This man has the gall of doing:
chori aur seena zori
And for a leader in civilized democracy the semblance of honesty is a pre-requisite.
Re: last CHANCE for them in Pakistan’s
……….please stop giving these looters chances again and again, This nation has already had enough.
Yes there are filters in democracy like this one, if you keep giving them CHANCES the most corrupt, crook, dishonest will keep on popping up. as we just had……”Asmaan say gira Khujoor main atka…….. ” Aik —— say jaan chooti to Maha ——- paalay par giya.
Gold bless Pakistan
oh guys, just give him and his party some time, inshaALLAH this will be the last CHANCE for them in Pakistan’s Politics, and i am sure this will happen, we wouldn’t have to even wait for 5 years :)
@Salman,
I am not here to give ‘good qualities’ of Zardari. I am defending his right to be the president of Pakistan due to his role as the leader of the largest and only truly national party of Pakistan. I am voicing against the prejudice of guilty before proven guilty. It is upto the detractors of Zardari to outline Zardari against the other ‘honest’ politicians of Pakistan.
I am going to judge Zardari based on his performance in future. That he may have received ‘kickbacks’ in financial deal in past is possible but I want the other billionaires since 1977 to be subjected to the same scrutiny, attention, trials that Zardari has been through. Millions have been spent by the State of Pakistan under both Nawaz Sharif and Musharraf to incriminate Zardari. I want a fraction of that amount to be spent against the Establishment’s childs as well.
Justice, if selective, whether in media or in courtrooms, is injustice. Let other ‘files’ be opened including those who are trying to look ‘principled’ but who themselves have running court cases against them. Let those beneficiaries of the NRO who joined Musharraf be under scrutiny as well. Why be selective when discussing the NRO?!
Why should Zardari be the only reviled and accused criminal? Are we sure that since 1977 others have been angels? How many of them have faced prison for 11 years? How many of them (except Jawed Hashmi and Y.R. Gillani) suffered jail for so long without incrimination like Zardari?
That Zardari became president of Pakistan with an overwhelming majority is unfortunate. Like people, like leaders.
According to most people here Mr Zardari is the most corrupt person in the world, but for me the most corrupt politician in the world is better then a military general
In a country where people have gotten away with breaking the constitution, and have gone as far as hanging democratically elected prime Minster of the country without any accountability. Here is a person who has spent 10 years in prison with out a single case being proved against him
If we believe in democracy then we should all hold our horses and give the guy a chance ….
Zardari MUST give a full accounting of his $400 million dollar fortune. Where does an uneducated Pakistani get this kind of wealth??? Then, and only then, will I respect him enough to follow his leadership.
Everyone knows he STOLE this money. But, if he did not, let him clear the air with a complete detailed accounting of each dollar.
I will accept Zardari as President of Pakistan if he can give full account of his finances. From where did he get all this money?
And also how he bought all the properties in foreign countries?
I also want to let him know that whatever he is today it is only due his wife. Everyone gave PPP the Sympathy vote. Next election he will be kicked out BUT in the mean time he will
devour and sell out what is left of Pakistan. Shame on him.