INTERVIEW

'Revenge of Benazir'

Asif Ali Zardari, once jailed on corruption charges, could be Pakistan's next president.

Aamir Qureshi / AFP-Getty Images
Zardari: 'It is our boys who are dying, our daughters who are being shut out of their homes'
 
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Eighteen years ago, Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto lost her job for the first time, and her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, was jailed for corruption. Before she was assassinated last December, Bhutto looked set to reclaim the job of prime minister for the third time. Now Zardari, co-chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), has been nominated to replace Gen. Pervez Musharraf as president. NEWSWEEK's Lally Weymouth spoke with Zardari last week. Excerpts:

NEWSWEEK: Was Musharraf's resignation a big day for you?
Asif Ali Zardari:
It was a momentous day—especially for the forces like us who believe democracy is the best revenge.

Will he stay in Pakistan?
Let's see what the Parliament decides.

Did you come to an agreement before he departed?
No. He hasn't got anything yet. There is a general understanding that we are not looking to [get] into any messy fights. We are not interested in doing anything against him—we are looking for a transition to full democracy.

So he could stay?
He is welcome to stay. Why shouldn't he stay?

Did he get indemnity from future prosecution?
No, the Parliament will decide that. Everybody knows the Pakistan Peoples Party's position is that we are not into revenge.

So can we say he has an agreement against future prosecution?
That depends on the future president—he can give a presidential pardon.

Should the new president give up the powers that Musharraf seized--being able to dissolve the Parliament, for instance?
We fought this war for democracy, and all the powers that Musharraf enjoyed were obviously non-democratic. We need to have a debate in the Parliament and see how strong we want the future president [to be] and how strong we want to make our prime minister. I think the president should not have the power to dissolve the assembly.

So the new president would play a more ceremonial role?
Yes, more ceremonial. Parliament is sovereign, and one has to look at the future of Pakistan's democracy as more important than individuals as such.

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Member Comments

  • Posted By: Sultan Ahmed @ 09/05/2008 8:10:12 PM

    It is right to say
    there is agreement
    in between,
    agreement between two persons,
    on their role,played in the past not at present,
    can be said with full criminalty.

    As a minister,
    in the cabnit of his own wife,
    and broke all the records,
    by committing corruptions and called Mr.10 pc,
    illegal gratification was received by him,
    from the small factory owners.

    there were some items like gold etc,
    on which commission was imposed as ten percent,
    it was special tex had no concern with any covernment institution,
    as a minister under the cover of prime minister,
    and prime minister was his wife.

    You can say agreement,
    you cansay,
    it is no agreement,
    i describe it a conspiracy,
    against the whole nation,
    all the crime including heroin casehas been deleted,
    and aquitted him all the charges,
    he did nothing for the nation,
    but going to become head of the islamic state,
    there is no concept of such a man like him,
    really a conspiracy has been hatched aginst the nation,
    looking what is going on happened never think so.

    It has been done for safe exit,
    there was no way out for Musharraf,
    every corner was occupied by the unconstitutional action,
    as he did by declaring emergency on 3th November 2008.
    Iftekhar choudhery had become a nightmare for him,
    he came in the dreams and a brave general began crying for safe exit,
    In the meanwile ,
    ppp appeared as majority party,
    so two criminal met eachother,
    and succeed to save eachothers.

  • Posted By: VGJoseph @ 08/27/2008 1:08:28 AM

    Making Zardari the President will subject him to more scrutiny than otherwise. In any event, he was manipulating matters from behind the scene. Setting a thief to catch other thieves is not a bad idea. Not that the people of Pakistan have many choices. www.winnowed.blogspot.com

  • Posted By: saj_alex@yahoo.com @ 08/26/2008 3:20:34 PM

    Zardari is a true joker, and with the power of a newly invigorated presidential office, "the joker is wild".
    Pakistan's best hope is now Kiyani and the Army once again

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