‘Victory for Democracy’

Mr Stephen Cohen described Pakistan as a state in grave difficulty. The civilian led governments in the past, worked at cross purposes with the Pakistan Army, in the administering of the nation. The civilian governments appeared to be powerless, and the neighbors could not but help castigate the instability they perceived and the perceived ineffectiveness of both the military and civilian governments to challenge the problems faced. The Military administration did not trust the people of Pakistan in the past, and democracy was an excuse for the civilian governments towards their own problems of governance, and ineffectiveness. That leaves the average Pakistani with no one to turn to.

You get the leaders you deserve

this is why democracy isnt the right choice for all countries.

Election Of MR Zardari as president of Pakistan is a great tragedy for this poor nation, or as they say that ???the rulers are the reflection of people??? .His past is bad his future is going to be worse, nothing good is expected of him, this time in power he will become MR 100%. Benazir never trusted him, and kept him away from politics, he became the co-chairman of the PPP ,on the basis of a ???dubious will??? from his wife We hope and pray that his tenure as President is as short as possible,

Tariq Zuberi

Zardari achieved this position with calculated moves with help of his friends Haqqani and Malik. Without them he would not have succeeded. His relationship with Khalilzad helped him get close to the administration in Washington DC. While he himself used his own expertise of wheeling and dealing with the
politicians who were his adversaries by keeping them a bay. Now that he will have himself crowned! How is
he going to conduct both his and the nations affairs?

Pakistanis are stupid to claim victory for democracy because Pakistan gains nothing from the so-called victory. The role of the president is more or less ceremonial and therefore will not have any effect on Pakistan. Even if he has the power, Zardari is no leader. He had even declared and proved to be insane to save his own skin. He is no statesman like Mandela.He has been hiding behind a women all his life! The future is still gloomy for Pakistan having Zardari as president. This reflects how pathetic the Pakistanis are. They should not have voted this bozo.

President Zardari has all the blessings of his wife Benazir Bhutto. The huge sympathy for Benazir finally catapults him to the pinnacle of power.

The economy of Pakistan is bleeding from every corner, it is near collapse.
The political scene appears no better. Incessantly hit by bombings and bloodsheds, the nation is almost out of control. The situation in the border region with Afghanistan worsens by the day, not forgetting the fluid truce in Kashmir.

Complicated by his equivocal background, Zardiri virtually holds an impossible task in his hands. It will be a miracle if he could eventually unite the conflicting political/ideological groups and revive the ailing economy in his country. Just hope for the best.
(Munn-zie Chan)

Asif Zardai has assumed power by default, following the tragic assasination of Benazir Bhutto. He will now be under a spotlight, and answerable for all his actions. Unfortunately the last 4 months has witnessed appointments made on behest of Zardari, persons with controversial background, limited education and mediocre capability. Merit seems to have no role in all these appointments. With such a handicap it will be very difficult for President Zardari to tackle the enormous problems that Pakistan faces. Appointments in Planning Commission, national airline PIA , KPT etc have harmed Zardari's credentials, something he cannot afford. He must assume the role of President with responsibilty and avoid any more controversies. Mr Zardari should follow Benazir's policy of having a team of professionals, who can deliver, not sidekicks and sychophants, who are available for dime a dozen.

Good luck to Asif. Let's see if he can confound expectations and abolish Article 58-2(b) (the right to dismiss parliament).

Zardari may look like an astute politician in making deals with other politicians to ascend to the president's
office, but he has arrived there with a long trail of a stenchy baggage. After all, he has spend most of his life making deals with contractors and political appointees for a 10% cut in those deals. But he has never kept his word on a deal that didn't suit his own interest and ambitions - as his abandoned deals with with Nawaz Sharif revealed. And if he abandons promises he made to smaller parties for their support now that he achieved his goal to become president, they may join Nawaz Sharif in the opposition and make his tenure quite rocky.

Zardari's celebration to the president's post will be short. Many Pakistanis are itching on the question:
How come an unelected [by popular election] crook become president? Others are itching by his attitude
to dutifully put the American interests ahead of the Pakistani interests for U.S. support. The Pakistani economy is on a free fall, and Zardari tell his finance minister to "print notes to pay the public bills." That what Robert Mugabe was doing in Zimbabwe that has become now a wasteland. Then, there is the religious influence in Pakistan that is solidly anti-American, and Zardari has pledged a marriage between
his presidency and the American objectives in Pakistan. To many Pakistanis he would probably look
like a re-invented Musharraf that sold them out for the U.S. support of his personal ambitions - especially now that the Pakistanis feel the angst of American bombing and raids in Pakistan that is killing civilians on a regular basis.

Zardari's dark past as Mr. 10% crook, as a suspect of the assassination of his brother-in-law Murtaza Bhutto, as a confirmed corrupt money laundering insider unfit to stand trial, and as a phony political partner to Nawaz Sharif, makes his quick and unexpected ascendancy to the presidency of Pakistan a perilous journey with a nebulous outlook. His tenure will probably be affected by his checkered past, by his inability to satisfy both his bosses in Washington and the loathing of Pakistanis against the U.S., and
by his phony political deals that would probably make him more enemies than he already has - rather than friends that he will badly need to hold a socially fractured country with a collapsing economy together. Nikos Retsos, retired academic

Pakistan Establishment! Give way to the honored

A historic event, a new dawn... Welcome! Zardari is in the house. What a day! With so much controversy by foreign media that even the locals were getting shocked by the odd comments. Well, all has been finished with the democratically elected premier of Pakistan is in the place. A man with a difficult past, people close to him have heard him say, ???My live is very unique if my wife is not prime minister I am in jail???. After the grieving death of the leader of Pakistan???s biggest political party, he led the party to victory in polls with a shining electoral campaign. Although his party did not completely sweep the elections, he still managed to over through the biggest mountain of dictatorship ???Musharaf??? with his planning and wit. He seems to know when to move what and how.
But with all that praise, Pakistan is facing the most difficult times in terms of economic meltdown and terrorist threats. Probably this time is not the best of times to get the premiership, but as the events are unfolding and as he is ironing out the political hurdles, he seems to be the right person to govern and be in the presidency. When the sun will rise tomorrow, weather Pakistani people will be able to look through dust and smoke? . Only the fate of Pakistan will answer this question.

_Muhammad Ali, Pakistan

Pakistan Establishment! Give way to the honored

A historic event, a new dawn... Welcome! Zardari is in the house. What a day! With so much controversy by foreign media that even the locals were getting shocked by the odd comments. Well, all has been finished with the democratically elected premier of Pakistan is in the place. A man with a difficult past, people close to him have heard him say, ???My live is very unique if my wife is not prime minister I am in jail???. After the grieving death of the leader of Pakistan???s biggest political party, he led the party to victory in polls with a shining electoral campaign. Although his party did not completely sweep the elections, he still managed to over through the biggest mountain of dictatorship ???Musharaf??? with his planning and wit. He seems to know when to move what and how.
But with all that praise, Pakistan is facing the most difficult times in terms of economic meltdown and terrorist threats. Probably this time is not the best of times to get the premiership, but as the events are unfolding and as he is ironing out the political hurdles, he seems to be the right person to govern and be in the presidency. When the sun will rise tomorrow, weather Pakistani people will be able to look through dust and smoke? . Only the fate of Pakistan will answer this question.

-Muhammad Ali, Pakistan