Pakistan: Polo, prison, PM

Pakistani lawmakers are set to choose a controversial figure as their new president on Saturday: the Sindhi politician and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Asif Ali Zardari.

Zardari is the son of a landowner and businessman from Sindh, and he entered politics only through marriage to Benazir Bhutto, the two-time prime minister whose father founded the party Zardari now leads. His original reputation as a polo-loving, movie-acting playboy was erased during Bhutto’s premiership by a set of corruption allegations. Zardari’s opponents have variously dubbed him the “Billion Dollar Man” and “Mr Ten Percent”, in reference to allegations that he exchanged political favours for massive, corrupt payments. He spent 11 years in jail on charges, including murder, which he claims were politically motivated.

Neither Zardari’s protestations of innocence, nor a Swiss court’s decision to drop the main case against him have been enough to disassociate him in the public mind from the claims.

Pakistanis might nevertheless regard any kind of civilian president as preferable to another military ruler. Yet Zardari’s legal entanglements have already wrought him considerable damage, even before he assumes the top job. Zardari’s fear that an old corruption case would be revived caused the PPP’s relations with its main coalition partner to break down on August 25. The rift concerned the restoration of 60 judges, sacked in November. Both parties agree on reinstating them – but their stance on a controversial amnesty law soured the deal. After backing out of a public commitment to reinstate the judges, Zardari has attracted the ire of the nation’s judges. Crowds of black-suited members of the judiciary have burnt him in effigy, which does not bode well, given the political significance of the lawyers’ movement.

It is true that rumours about Zardari’s health may be overplayed, while his political foes played a big part in generated controversy over his business dealings. He is a nimble politician, backing Musharraf into a corner and creating coalition governments in Pakistan’s four states. But, dogged by allegations about his past, he faces an uphill race as president, and clearly starts on the wrong foot.