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Assuming Benazir’s Mantle?
But U.S. officials, already concerned about Pakistan's stability in the wake of widespread protests against Musharraf's rule, worry about Zardari's prominence in the party. A former playboy and polo star, Zardari is considered a mistrusted—and divisive—figure in Pakistan. He is widely blamed for the tangle of corruption that strangled and cut short Bhutto's terms in office. "The PPP has the potential to be far more than the party of the Bhutto family. It had been putting itself forward as the legitimate reform party," the administration official said. "There is some concern if the party reverts back to a somewhat monarchial-style system." Syed Farooq Hasnat, a scholar at Washington's Middle East Institute, said that Pakistanis "are not ready for Zardari."
Zardari, asked whether he was now interested in the prime ministership, at first demurred. "In order to be prime minister you have to be a member of Parliament. I'm not running for this Parliament at the moment," he said. But Zardari added that the party leadership would ultimately decide who the PM candidate should be. "We're not saying I am [one] or saying I'm not," he said. He also argued that he had earned credibility by having gone to prison on what he says are trumped-up charges of corruption. "The fact of the matter is that there's nobody in the party with my seniority who's been to prison for 11 years," he said.
Asked how he could justify the rather feudal practice of making a modern political party a family legacy, Zardari noted that he was following his wife's lead. "She herself started her career as co-chairman with her mother. After her father was assassinated, she and his wife become leaders."
With Eleanor Clift
© 2008
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Member Comments
Posted By: nazia @ 02/08/2008 4:04:59 AM
Comment: The most suspicious and benifited on this earth after mussarf is this man Zardari.Live benazir never bothered for the induction of ousted zardari to enter into Pakistan but her dead made his way easy to reach his destination.Now he is all in all for her billion dollar assets, PPP s top seat, and also could be blue boy for mussarf like dictator for his bad repute based on worst corruption charges.Benazir used her father's deadbody as her political reward for reaching top seat and no doubt decieved her people who blindly love her as a daughter of Bhutto.Now her beloved husband who was neither living with her for last 7 years nor got any support from ppp or her during his captivity in jail has achieved his politcal targets.Does in any way he look like a sick man who had opted to live away from his family owing to his sickness for last 7 years.
Posted By: salimpk02 @ 02/06/2008 9:21:12 PM
Comment: Asif Zardari and the spokeperson of PPP has denied the report that he is interested in runing for premiership.
Its videly published in the section of Pakistani press would you please comment on tne deniel after publishing this interview.
Posted By: newdee @ 02/06/2008 1:52:24 PM
Comment: The question of 'Are you with us?' has to be answered by the next government in Pakistan, no matter who it is. What is the meaning of these peace deals and talks with the extremists; have they given any results in the past?
The status quo is no longer good enough: 'Gave us your billions, once in a while we'll do something about it, and then we give them room to recharge their batteries and carry out attacks on the innocent in both countries of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The world community is on to this double game. Pakistan should make up its mind, either you are fighting against extremists or you aren't.