Pakistan yearns for political saviour

Saturday's Pakistan presidential contest is the final stage in the consolidation of power over the past year by the Pakistan People's party, which used to be led by Benazir Bhutto, the assassinated former prime minister.

It also marks the return of the presidency to genuinely civilian hands for the first time since the 1999 coup that brought Pervez Musharraf, then head of Pakistan's powerful army, to power.

But what ought to be a momentous occasion for Pakistan has instead been met with apathy by an electorate more worried by a deteriorating economy and mounting Islamist insurgency. Further apathy rests in the nature of the election, which means that Pakistan's next president will be picked by a limited electoral college made up of national and provincial legislators.

Of the respondents to a Gallup poll released Friday, 44 per cent rejected all three contenders, while 34 per cent said they would prefer a president who was not associated with any political party. Only 26 per cent of respondents favoured Asif Ali Zardari, Ms Bhutto's widower and the man likely to become the next president.

Western diplomats argue that there is a widening gap between a sceptical public, which has lost faith in its leaders, and members of the ruling power structure, who face the challenge of tackling tough issues, notably the Islamist threat.

"There is a gap here. The public do not trust their rulers and politicians have yet to demonstrate they can rule in the public's interest," says one diplomat. "The relationship with the government must be redefined if you want broad public support for a new Pakistani agenda."

Supporters of Mr Zardari claim that the 53-year-old co-chairman of the PPP is ready to face the challenge.

"Unlike so many other presidents that we have had, Mr Zardari is somebody who has been through the difficult challenges of political life in our country. He is someone who is ready to be even unconventional wherever necessary to give Pakistan a new direction," says Abida Hussain, a PPP leader.

Mr Zardari's political opponents, however, claim that past controversies would haunt his presidency. Mr Zardari has for years been dogged by allegations of corruption. The Financial Times also rev­ealed last month that according to court documents filed in London, he had been diagnosed by US doctors as recently as last year with a range of serious illnesses including dementia, depression and post traumatic stress disorder.

Mr Zardari's relations with Nawaz Sharif, his former coalition partner, were strained further this week when the government resumed prosecution of a corruption case against Mr Sharif and his brother.

Mr Sharif, who pulled his party out of the ruling coalition last month, has labelled the prosecution "politically motivated".

"The most difficult question for Mr Zardari is a simple one. If he is to be so divisive, what was wrong with Pervez Musharraf?" says Mushahid Hussain Sayed, a candidate for the presidential contest backed by the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid e Azam. The PML-Q had previously been loyal to Mr Musharraf, who was forced to resign last month.

On the streets, many Pakistanis remain confused. "If Zardari has been accused of corruption in the past, how can he be good for Pakistan?" asks Zaheer Khan, a fruit vendor in Islamabad.

"If Zardari is the man who will end militancy, will he do it with support from America? And America is against Muslims, isn't it?" adds Saleem Malik, a student, echoing the anti-Americanism sweeping the country.

PPP leaders say in private that Mr Zardari's most difficult challenge will be that of overseeing the rejuvenation of an economy that has suffered soaring inflation, a slowdown and dwindling investment.

"If Mr Zardari can successfully deal with bread-and-butter issues in six months to a year, I can promise you that people will forget his past and accept him as a saviour, a messiah," says one PPP leader. "The question is: Will he become that messiah?"

The Financial Times