Devil's Advocate: Asif Ali Zardari

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Keywords: Pervez Musharraf, Nawaz Sharif

Asif Ali Zardari: That has never been an issue. The people who initiated the cases—my friends and allies now—have apologised to us. By way of apology they have admitted that they were political cases. The Cabinet has passed an NRO and admitted they were politically motivated cases.

So far as I am concerned it is history and those cases, if they had any matter in them, they would have been able to sentence me in the eight years I was there (in prison).

Karan Thapar: Nonetheless, the old judiciary struck down the NRO and if it was to be restored it would once again strike down the NRO.

Asif Ali Zardari: But then there will be a package where the judges will be free then those cases won’t matter, because as it is everybody know that those are political cases.

Karan Thapar: So you are hoping that when the judges are restored they will view this whole issue a little differently?

Asif Ali Zardari: Not that I am hoping, I know the package I am talking about will give the judiciary the first chance to be really comfortable with themselves. The people have been working under strain, restraint—ordinances, laws created, laws nominated.

Karan Thapar: So in that scenario, NRO won’t be a problem?

Asif Ali Zardari: That has never been a problem one way or the other.

Karan Thapar: What about something else? Today any government that you form in Islamabad unless you take the support of the PML(Q)—which you said you won’t—is critically dependent on the PML(N). But in Lahore Nawaz Sharif has the numbers to form the government without you.

In other words you are dependent on him but he doesn’t need you. Doesn’t that give him an advantage that he could use to keep your government uncertain, weak and unstable?

Asif Ali Zardari: Maybe he can use it keep me in check. I do want to be kept in check.

Karan Thapar: You are happy for Nawaz to keep you in check?

Asif Ali Zardari: I am very happy for everybody, including the media, the judges, Nawaz, to keep me in check. Fine, so let’s work from there.

Karan Thapar: Do you think you need to be kept in check?

Asif Ali Zardari: I think that power is something that Caesar always said ‘behold, you are a man.’

Karan Thapar: You mean power corrupts.

Asif Ali Zardari: No, it doesn’t corrupt but it makes you lack direction sometimes.

Karan Thapar: And this is why you want Nawaz Sharif to keep you in check.

Asif Ali Zardari: No, I want everybody to be observant so everyone shares responsibility. If something is happening and I by default or by silence let it happen I think I am as such responsible as the person who is doing it.