Devil's Advocate: Asif Ali Zardari

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How confident is Asif Ali Zardari of Nawaz Sharif’s support and what sort of policies will their government pursue toward India? Thos are the issues Karan Thapar raised with Zardari, co-chairperson of Pakistan People’s Party, on Devil’s Advocate.

Karan Thapar: Are you confident that Nawaz Sharif will support your government for the full five years, or do you suspect that he might be tempted to pull the rug after a year or 18 months?

Asif Ali Zardari: I think by and large it depends on the larger party. We have got the large mandate; we have to show humility; we have to take him into your heart and build confidence.

Karan Thapar: Yours is absolutely the right attitude, but the problem is that Nawaz Sharif has already announced that he would welcome back into the PML(N) all those who are today in the PML(Q). If that were to happen suddenly his numbers would swell beyond yours and he would become the larger party.

Asif Ali Zardari: I think the problems faced by Pakistan today are beyond number games—beyond immediate politics. So I think more we get down to business and more we get into governance we will realise that. When that dawns on everybody we will all stand in line and start delivering.

Karan Thapar: Except Nawaz Sharif has already said that his party won’t be actually in the Cabinet you form and many people suspect that he is keeping open the option of withdrawing support without any cost to himself?

Asif Ali Zardari: Then we shall face the position when we are faced with it. Why should I apprehend—why should I go into the fear factor. I shouldn’t—I should stand in the positive factor and positivity and take it from there.

Karan Thapar: Let us concentrate on some of the important differences between you. To begin with Nawaz Sharif has said he wants immediate impeachment of President Pervez Musharraf.

You have said to the ‘Wall Street Journal’ that you don’t have the numbers. Makhdoom Amin Fahim (PPP leader) has said this wouldn’t be wise and that it would rock the boat, but Nawaz isn’t satisfied with those answers. You have got a problem there, haven’t you?

Asif Ali Zardari: I don’t think it’s a problem. I think it is a perception. He realises and we realise that we have to mature as a democracy and the parliament is the replacement to the system. There is a system of governance today; the world is comfortable with it—we have to gain the world’s confidence; we have to gain the people’s confidence; we have to gain the establishment’s confidence.

We can run the show and the parliament can shoulder the difficulties, the problems and world issues and once we have done that I don’t think there any other issues.