Word: zardari
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...Zardari always had a reputation for wheeling and dealing. When he was Investment Minister during Bhutto's second term, his alleged involvement in kickback scandals earned him the sobriquet "Mr. 10%." He spent 11 years in prison on charges of corruption, extortion and the murder of Bhutto's brother (a political rival), although he has never been convicted. In April he was finally acquitted of the murder charge. Pakistani governments led by both Bhutto's rival, Sharif, and Musharraf pursued money-laundering and corruption cases against Zardari in Britain, Spain and Switzerland. All charges were dropped last fall after...
...Zardari not only has to overcome suspicions about his past but also will have to unify his fractured nation at a time of great trauma. Other than party loyalists, few believe he can. "The jury is out on redemption," says political analyst Nasim Zehra. "But I don't think Zardari can stand up and rally the people behind him." Zardari has to balance U.S. demands for firm military action against the distrust of a public alienated by American adventures in the region. In a country where most blame the presence of foreign troops in Afghanistan for Pakistan's problems...
That will not be easy. Zardari became President without ever having to face a popular vote (the President is chosen by parliament, which is currently dominated by his party), and he assumes an office bloated with powers bequeathed by his dictatorial predecessor. The constitution, as amended by Musharraf, grants Zardari immunity from prosecution and enables him to choose--and dismiss--the Chief of Army Staff, personally select Supreme Court judges and dissolve parliament. Under Pakistan's original constitution, these powers belonged to the elected members of parliament; the President was supposed to be a neutral national leader. With few democratic...
...process of consolidating power, Zardari burned bridges, including a valuable alliance with Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League--N, that promised, for once, a functioning national government unhindered by destabilizing rivalries. Zardari's reversal of a promise to reinstate judges dismissed by Musharraf last fall led Sharif's party to drop out of the coalition government, taking with it the highly regarded Finance Minister, Ishaq Dar. The economy, already burdened by skyrocketing food and oil prices, collapsed, and there was a run on the stock market, which had been one of the best-performing in Asia...
...rift over the judges may be only a precursor. Many fear that Zardari's and Sharif's parties will revert to the vicious infighting that plagued Pakistan in the late 1980s and '90s. That was bad enough, but Pakistan has nuclear weapons now, and al-Qaeda is still picnicking in its backyard. The military, headed by General Ashfaq Kayani, has promised to stay out of politics, but if the situation deteriorates, it may be forced to intervene. "I don't think [Kayani] will let the country come apart," says Anthony Zinni, a retired four-star Marine general who from...