The
Guardian
Zardari issues rallying cry[1]
for democracy in Pakistan amid coup fears
The embattled[2]
president of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari,
on Tuesday used a speech on the fourth anniversary of the assassination of his
wife, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, to issue a firm challenge to those
within the unstable south Asian nation who wish to unseat[3]
him.
The 56-year-old president told tens of
thousands of people gathered at the Bhutto family shrine at Garhi Khuda Baksh
in the southern Sindh province that the best way to pay tribute to his late
wife, killed while campaigning in elections in 2007, was "to defend and
protect democracy and democratic institutions in the country and foil[4]
all conspiracies against it".
The speech was Zardari's first public
appearance since returning last week from Dubai where he had been receiving
medical treatment for a suspected minor stroke and comes amid a welter[5]
of speculation that Pakistan's powerful military, which has ruled the country
for much of its 64-year independent existence, is about to step in.
Zardari told the crowd that Bhutto's assassins
"may have succeeded in eliminating her physically but [her] ideas and
ideals … shall never be killed".
[4] stop something from happening, especially something illegal;
to prevent somebody from doing something
Relations between Zardari, who became
president in the wake of his wife's death, and the military have always been
tense but have deteriorated significantly in recent months. Senior officers
believe Zardari or close aides[1]
penned a leaked unsigned – and unauthenticated – memo appealing to Washington
for aid in heading off[2]
a military coup earlier this year. Hearings into the affair are being held by
Pakistan's supreme court and could seriously destabilise the government.
Aides of Zardari privately[3]
claim the senior judiciary are acting in
concert with[4]
senior military officers to force the president out. In a jibe at[5]
judges, Zardari raised the unsolved case of his wife's assassination in his
speech.
Both elected and military officials have
appeared to back away from confrontation in recent days however. General Ashfaq
Kayani, the chief of army staff and the most senior soldier in the country,
has, via a military spokesman, denied any intention to mount[6]
a coup.
On Monday Yusuf Raza Gilani, the prime
minister, denied domestic media reports that he was planning to sack both
Kayani and the head of the main Pakistani military spy service, the ISI, saying
the military supported democracy.
One senior official in the ruling
Pakistan People's party, founded by Benazir Bhutto's father, said on Tuesday
that there was no question of the president resigning, whatever the pressure.
"He's a fighter. He's not going
anywhere," the official said.
Zardari is deeply unpopular in Pakistan where he
is blamed for failing to contain[1]
violent extremism, take measures to improve a corrupt and inefficient
bureaucracy or act to halt rapid economic decline. Imran Khan, the cricketer
turned conservative[2]
politician, has capitalised on[3]
this widespread disaffection.[4]
At least 100,000 people demonstrated their support for his Tehrik-e-Insaaf
(Movement for Justice) party at a weekend rally in Karachi that cements his
standing as a serious political force and increases pressure on the government.
However, Khan will have to contest[5]
with the power of the Bhutto name, which though diminishing remains strong in
Pakistan.
The introduction of Bilawal Bhutto – the
political crown prince[1]
of the dynasty[2]
– to voters has been accelerated[3]
since the illness of his father. In an article published in a local newspaper
on Monday, the 23-year-old Oxford graduate called on his countrymen to
"remain committed to the evolution of a democratic Pakistan and reject the
calls for confrontation between institutions".
The instability in Pakistan comes at a bad time
for Washington. America's own relations with the Pakistani military are at a low ebb[4]
after a series of crises in the last 12 months.
No comments:
Post a Comment