Pressures on Pakistan's President Mount

[inferno]

Pressures on Pakistan's President Mount
Pakistan's president under pressure to step down or relinquish powers amid Taliban fight

Pakistan's unpopular president is coming under increasing pressure from the powerful army and political opponents to resign or relinquish most of his powers, fueling political turmoil just as the West wants the country to focus on the threat posed by al-Qaida and the Taliban.

An amnesty protecting President Asif Ali Zardari and several of his key allies from graft prosecution expired Saturday, raising the possibility of legal challenges to his rule and triggering calls from the major opposition party for him to step down.

Hours earlier, he relinquished command of the country's nuclear arsenal to the prime minister. He has said he will also give up some other powers inherited from his predecessor, former military leader and President Pervez Musharraf.

The upheaval comes as the Obama administration is expected to announce this week a new strategy for defeating the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan and on Pakistan's western border. Any new approach will need political stability in Pakistan to have any hope of succeeding.

A military coup to oust Zardari appears unlikely, as does impeachment, since he heads the largest party in Parliament. The opposition has not called anti-government street rallies, perhaps wary of pushing the country into chaos and paving the way for another stint of military rule.
Zardari, 54, is languishing in opinion polls just 15 months after taking office. He has long been haunted by corruption allegations dating back to governments led by his late wife, Benazir Bhutto. He denies accusations that he took kickbacks that saddled him with the nickname, "Mr. 10 Percent."

He also has found himself locked in a power struggle with the powerful military, which has objected to his overtures toward nuclear-armed rival India and his acceptance of a multibillion dollar U.S. aid bill that came with conditions some fear impose controls over the army.

Zardari's office said the decision to transfer control of the National Command Authority to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was a step toward ceding sweeping presidential powers that had been adopted by Musharraf. The authority comprises a group of top military and political leaders who would make any decision to deploy nuclear weapons.

---------- Post added at 07:47 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:47 AM ----------

Pressures on Pakistan's President Mount - ABC News

 

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

nothing will happen ... just normal mumbo jumbo by political parties to show their might

 

[inferno]

nothing will happen ... just normal mumbo jumbo by political parties to show their might

Why is Zardari abandoning his powers???
If he`s so fearful than he should resign than to abandoning powers...

 

[inferno]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/29/world/asia/29pstan.html

Pakistan’s Leader, Under Pressure, Cedes Nuclear Office-NYT
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — President Asif Ali Zardari has ceded his position in Pakistan’s nuclear command structure to his prime minister, in a sudden political maneuver widely seen as a fresh sign of turmoil on the eve of President Obama’s strategy announcement for the region.

The move, announced in a news release late Friday night, was an all-out attempt to head off domestic political pressure as Mr. Zardari’s two-year presidency hit a new low. With the end of a political amnesty program on Saturday, Mr. Zardari and his allies now face potential corruption and criminal charges, and the opposition is demanding that he relinquish many of his powers or resign.

Although analysts did not expect the move to harm Pakistan’s nuclear security, political stability in the country is critical for the Obama administration, which is set to announce its new strategy for Afghanistan this week. Pakistan is a central part of that strategy, and the country has been under tremendous pressure by the administration to step up its fight against militants from the Taliban and Al Qaeda, with two top American security officials visiting Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, in two weeks.

Until his latest move, Mr. Zardari held the top civilian position in the organization known as the National Command Authority, which controls every aspect of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal — decisions to move or launch any of its 60 to 100 nuclear weapons, to expand the country’s nuclear stockpile and to oversee the security of the weapons and nuclear laboratories.

Pakistan’s previous president, Pervez Musharraf, was an army general, and Mr. Zardari’s position was supposed to signal civilian control of the country’s nuclear assets. But in reality, it is Pakistan’s powerful military that exerts control over the country’s nuclear arsenal, and Pakistani observers noted Saturday that the handover to Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani had no practical effect on the hierarchy.

“Nothing changes except that Zardari has removed one possible irritant with nuclear hawks,” said a Pakistani official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about nuclear issues.

The military establishment dislikes Mr. Zardari and has an acrimonious history with his party, the Pakistan People’s Party. A senior party member said the hope was that the move would bolster Mr. Zardari’s democratic credentials and help restore a strong-Parliament system that had been disrupted under Mr. Musharraf’s rule.

In most nuclear-weapons nations, it is the civilian leadership, not the military, that is entrusted with nuclear control. But 62-year-old Pakistan has always been an exception. Its military has always been more powerful than its weak civilian governments, and American officials have always taken some solace in the fact that the military oversaw all elements of the nuclear program.

Some here argue the military wants it to stay that way. It protested vociferously when the Obama administration, which has said it wants to support democratic institutions here, extended a large civilian aid package to Pakistan this fall, the first in the history of the two countries.

The move seemed to say more about Pakistani politics and Mr. Zardari’s attempts to survive as president than about the country’s nuclear arsenal. Mr. Zardari is at his most vulnerable since taking office and is looking for ways to appease his critics.

But many political analysts say he will not survive if he does not address the opposition’s main criticism: that he has yet to give up the sweeping powers he inherited from Mr. Musharraf, like the right to dismiss elected governments, unusual in a parliamentary system like Pakistan’s.

Friday’s move did nothing to relinquish those powers, and as a result was largely ignored in the Pakistani news media. But the senior party member said Mr. Zardari would start giving up those powers in a process that would begin next month. It was not clear on Saturday whether handing control to Mr. Gilani would have any effect in terms of blunting criticism.

Mr. Gilani is a mild-mannered politician from Pakistan’s most populous province, Punjab. He is a member of Mr. Zardari’s party but is believed to be more palatable to the country’s powerful military establishment. Most Pakistani analysts rule out a military coup, but the news media have been talking for months about a “minus one” scenario, under which Mr. Zardari would step down and another member of his party would assume the presidency. Mr. Zardari’s supporters say that is unlikely.

The opposition leader, Nawaz Sharif, is also a crucial figure, whose support could allow Mr. Zardari to remain in power. His party has repeatedly called for a repeal of the Musharraf-era powers, and Mr. Zardari’s delays in doing so could turn Mr. Sharif against him, making Mr. Zardari’s resignation all but inevitable.

From the start of Mr. Zardari’s term, American officials have worked hard to cultivate alternate contacts within Pakistan — including Mr. Sharif and Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, the chief of the military — tacitly acknowledging the complex and volatile nature of the country’s politics.

In practice, it is the military that has always controlled most of the nuclear decisions in the country. The top officers dominate the National Command Authority and its major decisions. Many of the day-to-day operations, including those most of concern in Washington, concerning nuclear security, are made in a small compound near the Islamabad airport by the Special Plans Division, run by Gen. Kahlid Kidwai.

General Kidwai was appointed to his position by Mr. Musharraf, who took control of the country in a coup in 1999 and resigned, under pressure, more than a year ago. Together the two men established much of the country’s nuclear infrastructure, and it was telling that General Kidwai remained in place after Mr. Zardari took office as the country’s elected president. It also suggested that, save for the names on an organization chart, little changed in practice.

And military control did not prevent Pakistan from becoming the source of the most egregious case of nuclear proliferation in modern history: the sale of the country’s nuclear technology by Abdul Qadeer Khan, a metallurgist who created a black market for nuclear technology and sold it to Iran, North Korea and Libya, and perhaps other nations.

Of all the institutions in Pakistan, none is of more importance to the Obama administration than the National Command Authority. But it is also the linchpin of the continuing distrust between Washington and Islamabad.

For years during the Bush administration, the United States paid more than $100 million to Pakistan to help it secure its nuclear weapons. But American officials never knew exactly how much of the money was spent: Pakistan did not want the United States to know much about its weapons or where they were located, for fear that in times of chaos the Americans would seek to seize the weapons rather than allow them to fall into the hands of terrorists.

Sabrina Tavernise reported from Islamabad, and David E. Sanger from New York. Sahar Habib Ghazi contributed reporting from Islamabad, and Richard A. Oppel Jr. from New York.

 

[StingRoy]

What powers does the President have now?... Do he have any say or just a puppet?

 

[Wajahat_Ali]

zardari never had any powers..remember after 26/11 Mumbai attacks which were planned in pakistan and executed by pakistani terrorists in Mumbai, he announced he will send ISI chief to India and then he backtracked because enormous pressure was put on him by Pakistan army..so zardari was always a mere puppet..it's the notorious army that calls shots in pakistan

 

[seekers]

zardari never had any powers..remember after 26/11 Mumbai attacks which were planned in pakistan and executed by pakistani terrorists in Mumbai, he announced he will send ISI chief to India and then he backtracked because enormous pressure was put on him by Pakistan army..so zardari was always a mere puppet..it's the notorious army that calls shots in pakistan

Pakistan has a solid proof of Indian involvement in Baluchistan,Do India ready to send RAW chief on exposing the evidence????????

 

[Wajahat_Ali]

Pakistan has a solid proof of Indian involvement in Baluchistan,Do India ready to send RAW chief on exposing the evidence????????

This is total crap....pakistan is just trying to divert the world's attention from the issue of terrorism that has been created and spread by them across the world...but nothing's gonna happen even if Pakistani politicians and army officers yell at the top of their voices

as regards Balochistan,It's an internal matter...Balochistan itself is a oppressed province in pakistan which is fed up of injustice done to them by the past pakistani military rulers and pakistani govts...so balochis want independence from pakistan...nothing wrong with it

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

as regards Balochistan,It's an internal matter...Balochistan itself is a oppressed province in pakistan which is fed up of injustice done to them by the past pakistani military rulers and pakistani govts...so balochis want independence from pakistan...nothing wrong with it

social problems in india are 100000 times worse than in Pakistan. Most of the insurgency in Baluchistan is concentrated in Kalat.

Yes Baluchestan is an internal matter, which is getting a lot of attention --especially lately.

just google "Aghaaz-e-Haqooq-Balochistan "


as goodwill, some former seperatists were released from detention. More needs to be done, but Baluchistan will always be an integral part of Pakistan.




if i were indian (perish the thought!), I'd be more worried about Sri Nagar where the occupied Kashmiris celebrate 14th August as their independence day, and where they wave Pakistani flags with fervour. That is why they are always placed under curfews under the grip of indian soldiers there.

 

[Wajahat_Ali]

social problems in india are 100000 times worse than in Pakistan. Most of the insurgency in Baluchistan is concentrated in Kalat.

Yes Baluchestan is an internal matter, which is getting a lot of attention --especially lately.

just google "Aghaaz-e-Haqooq-Balochistan "


as goodwill, some former seperatists were released from detention. More needs to be done, but Baluchistan will always be an integral part of Pakistan.




if i were indian (perish the thought!), I'd be more worried about Sri Nagar where the occupied Kashmiris celebrate 14th August as their independence day, and where they wave Pakistani flags with fervour. That is why they are always placed under curfews under the grip of indian soldiers there.

the people you are talking about must be pakistani terrorists locked up in jails in Srinagar,capital of Indian state Jammu and Kashmir..you are just spreading disinformation about local Kashmiris who are proud Indian citizens..afterall you are a pakistani...what else can be expected from you.....don't worry about unstablitiy(caused by pakistani terrorists) in Kashmir...it's India's internal matter..we know how to deal with it..you must worry for Balochistan

and please don't insult our great nation India by associating yourself with it..for heaven's sake don't do it!

 

[Ababeel]

The puppet govt and politicians in Pakistan are about to sell Pakistan to its enemies. They have failed to concentrate and show to the world the face of Indian terrorism in Balochistan and in FATA (TTP). While in India something happens blames goes to ISI within seconds. Pakistanis should take action against Zardari and Altaf Hussain kind of leaders and get rid of them. They are seller and looters of Pakistan and can go to any extent even if it damages the interesrts of Pakistan. Kiyani looks a right leader if situation becomes worse because of the PPP govt controlled by Zardari. Otherwise Gilani must be given more power as prime minister as he looks a honest person as we see his background and his actions during present term to reconsile with the opposition and to think over the legitimate demands of opposition parties.

 

[Awesome]

zardari never had any powers..remember after 26/11 Mumbai attacks which were planned in pakistan and executed by pakistani terrorists in Mumbai, he announced he will send ISI chief to India and then he backtracked because enormous pressure was put on him by Pakistan army..so zardari was always a mere puppet..it's the notorious army that calls shots in pakistan

The pressure was put on him from all quarters of Pakistan. No one in Pakistan wanted to send the ISI chief for interrogation.

 

[Spring Onion]

What powers does the President have now?... Do he have any say or just a puppet?

He grabbed the powers illegally. The powers which he is holding are actually the domain of the elected Prime Minister under the constitution.

 

[Spring Onion]

zardari never had any powers..remember after 26/11 Mumbai attacks which were planned in pakistan and executed by pakistani terrorists in Mumbai, he announced he will send ISI chief to India and then he backtracked because enormous pressure was put on him by Pakistan army..so zardari was always a mere puppet..it's the notorious army that calls shots in pakistan

why should we send our Intellegence chief to India in the first place and for what?

If bhartyas were so eager you could have sent your Raw chief to Pakistan.

BTW you should have the guts to ask US for giving you access to Headly, your intel team came back with a long face.

 

[ouiouiouiouiouioui]

this zardari guy is there for not too much time...probably as the history speaks there is never a occasion of two suuccessive democratic government in pakistan.....so we all are waiting for the coup to take place...by the experience that we all have....sometime from now....