Adil Najam
Back in September 2006 we had asked our readers to grade the performance of Gen. Musharraf (he was graded B-/C+). In this latest installment of ATP Polls we would like to find out how you grade the performance of those holding key offices in Pakistan: President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani, Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, Chief of Army Staff Gen. Ashfaq Pervez Kiani, and Opposition Leader Nawaf Sharif.
As someone who grades people for a living, let me just say that the purpose of this exercise is not to see whether you like these people or not, it is to see what how you think they have been performing in the offices they now hold. It is perfectly possible to not particularly like someone but come to the conclusion that they are doing a decent job in what they have been assigned to do, or vice versa. So, please, eventhough this is just a fun exercise, use your vote justly.
Do please also leave a comment and let us know what you think of their performance.
i completely agree with u meengla.thank u for speaking up
Since the poll is supposed to rate these individuals on the basis of their performance, and not the basis of whether you like them or not, I think Zardari has been unfairly under-rated. Look at his achievements:
1. He became the party head in the most difficult circumstances and has been able to keep his party intact so far. (Not an easy task in a society where Lota culture is the norm.)
2. He got himself elected as a legitimate president, fairly and squarely
3. He managed to remove Musharraf without causing any upheaval.
4. He entered into an alliance with MQM and ANP and has managed to keep both the alliances intact — not an easy task.
5. He also maintained a fairly good relation with Nawaz Sharif
6. He managed to win a majority of the senate seats and also its chairmanship for the PPP — again not a mean task.
7. Even while reinstating CJ Chaudhry under pressure, he made sure that he did not have to fire Dogar and other judges.
8. He took the wind out of the sails of his critics — on both the Left and the Right — by dumping the Nizam-i-Adal baby in their lap before signing it. It was a master stroke, in my opinion.
9. He has signed the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline deal in spite of the opposition for the US, and
10. He even managed some kind of a deal on nuclear technology with France.
And, yes, one more thing: He got rid of the unsavory characters like Justice Qayyum and Sharifuddin Pirzadah. Don’t you think it was a good riddance?
I gave ‘good’ to all of the above. No, it was not an easy way out. I am not going to let myself be influenced by the overwhelming anti-Zardari influence in the media or the Pakistani blogspace. As Benazir Bhutto–quite possibly the 3rd towering Pakistani politician after Jinnah and ZAB–used to say: “A leader leads through making tough choices even if they seem unacceptable to the people at first. A leader does not follow the public opinion all the time.” (paraphrased; shortly after her arrival in Pakistan in 2007).
1) Zardari has never wavered in his desire to go after the militants–even when as late as a few months ago–Pakistanis were ambivalent about Talibans in their midst. Zardari has also kept the PPP united and is holding on to the coalition govts. in 4 provinces. His dark spots are: not restoring the CJP in time and in trying to topple PLMN govt. in Punjab. But he has retracted from that too.
2) Gillani is a good ‘yes man’ although he too, buoyed up by support from PLMN, has on occassion challenged the President Zardari. He is also the most vocal PPP man to ask for the removal of the 17th Amendment.
3) Ex-CJP is not being overly active in going after NRO. My personal opinion is that Zardari has paid 11+ years of his life in prison without a single charge being proven and so is not the main NRO target. But if NRO is to applied then all corruption should be dug up since 1977–we know how thoroughly Zia cleaned-up PPP prior to 1977. Partial justice is injustice.
4) Kiani is doing a good job being neutral and professional. But what else can be expected? He is trying to revive the image of the Army–badly destroyed by Musharraf. I hope Kiani resists temptations of any Bonapartism. I would rather take a Jamaati or a Nawaz Sharif as my leader before I’d take an un-accountable Khaki as my leader.
5) NS has changed his relatively pro-Taliban tune to generally anti-Taliban ones since some high-profile American visits to him. So much has been said of Musharraf and Zardari of being ‘American Puppets’ but now the right-wing (or rather ethnic Punjabi) media is generally silent. Makes you wonder. But he makes right noises about the need for ‘democracy’ as the long term path for Pakistan and that is most welcome.
Yes, all my vote was ‘Good’ and that is mainly because all the main players know there is a flux. A transition. Perhaps that is how any semblance of ‘permanance’ gets evolved in democracies…?
Each one is serving his master well. They are firm believers in “make hay while the sun shines.” They know that they have to leave Pakistan when they are out of government. This is why they appointed Zardari to “survey” best place to settle.
@Lutf ul Islam.
NO IT DOES NOT (please do not put ideas in peoples minds).
The question is clear, we are rating them in their jobs. The reason that Gen. Kiani is doing well is because he is NOT interfering in politics. If he did we will give him bad grade. The grade is for his performance as COAS only. Mine is.