Welcome home, Mr Zardari

Ever since Chairman Pakistan People’s Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari announced in a press conference that his father and former president Asif Ali Zardari would return home on December 23 after being cleared by his doctors, I have been flooded with questions. Every one interested to know about him does not wait for my response but springs at my perceptions that he or she wants to believe. Most of them are not charitable to him in compliments. However, behind their grim mask one could see that they too feel that the most controversial and enigmatic man had “something” in him that made him different from other politicians.

As a young man, flaunting in a sports car, his contemporaries envied him, some were jealous and some were outright animus of him while women-invariably-called him a great charmer. I had not met him before his engagement but I had known his father Rais Hakim Ali Zardari. We got bounded in a relationship that is thicker than blood after his marriage with our beloved Bibi and Bhutto Sahib’s “Dearest Daughter”.

I found him to be very witty with an instantaneous quip for every occasion. And of course I am envious of his repertoire of Urdu verses. He can quote Mirza Ghalib, Faiz Sahib, Faraz and Jalib among others than some of the leaders now who try to ape Bhutto Sahib in the art of oratory by their Hitler-like demagoguery and quotes from anthology of mobile poetry painted at the back of trucks for the pleasures of Pappos on road and in politics.

Previous to his announcement my journalist friends and others too used to ring me from Pakistan to ask about him, how was he, was he really not well and will he ever return to Pakistan or prefer a life in exile? Most of the time I avoided to respond about his medical problems as I knew nobody would believe me.

During the previous tenure of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, I have had the agony of spending some time in Adiyala, Karachi Jail and so-called Safe Houses run by FIA as torture cells (1996-1997)—courtesy Senator Saifur Rehman -- than heading Accountability Bureau — the same notorious man who had ordered forced conviction of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and Asif Zardari by ordering Justice Qayyum on phone in April 1999 to sentence both.

One must give him credit to produce letter of a Qatari Prince to help the family in its defence in the Panama offshore accounts and money laundering case. One does not know what price Mian Sahib will have to pay to him for such services. Saifur Rehman, however, denied any link with letter of the Qatari prince. He said that Sharifs, since the days they owned a mill in Dubai, had business links with the Qatar princes. 

I had been quite healthy when I was arrested in 1996. However, when few back to London late 1997 I was diabetic (no one had it in my family). High blood pressure and kidneys were getting impaired. Twice they had to rush me to hospitals when I was on the verge of conking off. This digression is with reference to the joke that some PML-N leaders made of Bilawal’s announcement regarding doctors giving his father medical clearance. Mocking at Zardari’s health predicaments by PML-N and interior minister’s diatribe against Bilawal -- is the manifestation of the pathological mindset that made people (including PML-N members) make fun of Mian Sahib’s cardiac condition that needed surgery.

By their analogy Zardari Sahib’s stay abroad and prime minister’s frequent visits to and long stays in London—were both due to GRS syndrome. Mian Sahib is believed to have developed his cardiac problem when General Pervez Musharraf arrested him in 1999. Having suffered stressed myself, I know what it is and how it wrecks up health.

MNS’ period of incarceration and his sufferings are peanut compared to AAZ suffered during eleven years of imprisonment, attempts to kill him in jail and all sorts of torture that an IG police of that period inflicted on him. The IG, however, used to reject this charge. What did Zardari end up with? During his long incarceration he developed diabetes and high blood pressure —- a dreaded lethal combination. Immediately after his release he had heart problem, he had to go through coronary angioplasty in Dubai and four stents were put in his arteries. Later, he developed more problems, more stents and received long cardiac treatment and rehabilitation in United States.

Many journalists right earnestly ask me what is good and bad in Zardari in my assessment. I don’t know what to tell them. I avoid answering them but when they insist I tell them that such questions should not be asked from a person who has been very close to him, Bibi and their children. I tell them that if I spell out AAZ’s good qualities you will say I am his chamcha and you will not accept them. If I point out his failings - you will say not enough. People believe in their perceptions.

As a student of history I would say AAZ’s greatest achievement was sustaining of democracy for five years through hell and high water -- a historic event and transfer of power through vote. Earlier to it, no lesser achievement was his bold and courageous stand to save Pakistan from fatal consequences that looked imminent in the country wide violent rage on the assassination of Benazir Bhutto on December 27 nine years ago. He and Bilawal stood up as a bulwark to save Benazir’s Pakistan from breakup.

In my eyes his monumental contribution was 18th Amendment in the Constitution of 1973. It was to secure federal unity. He transferred arbitrary powers of the president to dismiss elected governments to the prime minister as was in the original Constitution. He gave up his own powers as president and made prime minister real chief executive. This amendment made constitution most formidable unifier and binding force for the federation than the religion. It greatly dissipated inter-provincial disharmony and brought provinces together.

Throughout the period he was president he pursued Shaheed Bibi’s agenda of national reconciliation and Charter of Democracy. He showed large heartedness, tendered an unconditional apology to the people of Balochistan for the sins of omission and commission committed against them in the last 50 years. He also announced an economic package for the upliftment of Balochistan that resulted in enormous development, job opportunities, health and education, road net work, hospitals etc. As per Charter of Democracy media remained free, journalists allowed free for all and one could proudly claim that there was no political prisoner.

No doubt CPEC is a game changer. It will open floodgates of economic prosperity. However, it is rather criminal and callous not to give credit for it to AAZ. He was the person who set the ball rolling for CPEC, visited China 9 times to take it forward and convince the Chinese that Pakistan was serious in developing economic ties with seminal consequences and windfall profits for the two countries and the region through development of Gwadar Port.

It was he who awarded management of Gwadar Port to Chinese Company canceling its running by the Singaporeans. Difference between him and MNS is that he moved very quietly but making substantial progress away from the focus of our adversaries. He convinced the Chinese to invest in power projects throughout the country. Leading commentator Hassan Nisar’s outburst in his Geo TV programme the other day reminding of Zardari’s contribution in CPEC should put his critics to shame.

Yet another game changer was Zardari’s signing of gas pipeline agreement with Iran. It was totally in defiance of the Americans who had put economic sanctions on Iran. Even those who virtually control Pakistan’s foreign policy did not like Zardari’s decision. It was a major foreign policy step establishing the fact that Zardari could act independently in the best national interest. He believed Iranian gas could help Pakistan overcome its energy problem and he went for it not caring for the displeasure of vested interests. Now one does not know what is happening to the Iranian gas pipeline project. It is feared that the project is in jeopardy.

I am sure people would still remember that in the last days of General Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan had lost its writ in Swat and Malakand to Taliban leader Mulla Fazlulla - notoriously known as “Mulla Radio”. His fighters were reported to be 80 miles away from Islamabad and his partner Mulla Aziz had already established his Headquarter in Red Mosque under the nose of ISI.

It was under Zardari’s leadership that bold decision was taken to militarily get Swat and Malakand vacated from the stranglehold of terrorists. Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kiyani was keen to go in but he wanted political support. PPP government put itself behind GAPK wholeheartedly despite opposition by PML-N, PTI and religious parties who wanted that negotiations be held with Taliban leaders and supported a policy of appeasement. ANP, MQM and Baloch political leaders supported PPP’s stand and military operation. Indeed, it was a major achievement of Pakistan Army that they got cleared 17 areas out of 19 of the terrorists and managed the exodus of over 250,000 residents of Swat to move out and come back within two years and start their business and lives as usual.

Out of 19 only two areas had remained unclear by 2013. General Kiyani could have got them cleared too but for the Nawaz government that delayed action. It had within strong supporters of Taliban like a well known senior minister. Months were lost in vacillation by the government, GRS finally forced a decision to launch Zarb-e-Azb. Had it been launched earlier Zarb-e-Azb would not have taken that much of time to clear North Waziristan and Fata when in much shorter times 17 areas were cleared of the terrorists earlier during PPP government.

The author is the former high commissioner for Pakistan to, long wing Adviser to Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and a veteran journalist. Email: wshwsh786@gmail.com