Word: zardari
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...this is where Washington and Islamabad's interests collide. The U.S. has warned Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari that it expects Pakistani security forces to take action against the Afghan Taliban as well as the Haqqani network and Hizb-e-Islami, but Pakistan is loath to act against militants on its territory who confine their operations to Afghanistan, focusing instead on those extremists who directly challenge the Pakistani state. An unpopular and politically beleaguered Zardari is in no position to help Obama...
...clear whether the corruption charges could could actually push Zardari out of power. "The government of Pakistan believes that while the President of Pakistan is in office, he has immunity from all cases brought by governments before," says presidential spokesperson Farahnaz Ispahani, and legal opinion on the issue is divided. Still, she adds, "These are accusations not convictions. He's not afraid of facing the courts again if the time comes." (See pictures of Pakistan beneath the surface...
...amnesty is certainly providing ammunition for the the parliamentary opposition, which is calling for Zardari and other accused ministers to step down."He's not immune forever," says Khwaja Muhammad Asif, a prominent lawmaker from Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N). "As long as he's in this office, he cannot be served with a warrant. But there is also a moral position - he holds the highest office in the land. For the dignity of that office, he's morally bound, if morality means anything to him, to leave his office and face the charges...
...cases will be something of a legal and political minefield, because, says Ispahani, they were prepared by Musharraf's regime with political intent. And while Zardari's ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP) publicly expresses confidence in the Supreme Court, some of its members privately fear that Chief Justice Chaudhry, whose sacking by Musharraf Zardari had refused to reverse until forced to by a nationwide protest movement, may not be in a forgiving mood. Opposition figures, however, warn that accused officials could wield undue influence over the prosecution, which is controlled by the government. (Read: "Why Pakistan Matters...
...Whatever the outcome of Zardari's latest round of legal troubles and the political crisis they portend, their effect is likely to be a further weakening of his grip on power and more distraction from Pakistan's war against extremism...