ISLAMABAD // Asif Ali Zardari could tomorrow become the most powerful elected president Pakistan has had, completing his unlikely transformation from a playboy vilified for alleged corruption to a world statesman.
If he wins the election he will have the authority to appoint and dismiss the army chief, he will have his finger on the nuclear button and he will head the National Security Council. He will also possess the power to dissolve parliament and sack provincial governments.
Few would deny Mr Zardari's democratic credentials, as the candidate for the political group that has the largest number of seats in parliament, the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), who looks set to be supported by a wide range of other parties, ensuring his overwhelming election.
But Mr Zardari is dogged not only by his controversial past - his behaviour when Benazir Bhutto, his late wife, was twice prime minister in the late 1980s and 1990s - but also the muscular politics that marked the eight months that he has led the party.
Even loyalists admit to be stunned by the way that Mr Zardari has catapulted himself, from shunned spouse to president. He was not even part of the political process in Pakistan when Bhutto was assassinated in December last year. She had not granted him a ticket to fight a seat in the elections, and he was living in exile in New York. But, flying back for her funeral, he immediately managed to establish an iron grip over the party, even though he was by no means her assumed successor.
Then, Mr Zardari knitted together a coalition, keeping traditional PPP rival Nawaz Sharif on board long enough to dispatch then President Pervez Musharraf. He has kept the coalition government afloat after Mr Sharif stormed out. In short, he has proven himself to be a skilful politician, outmanoeuvring Mr Sharif and opening up the presidential slot for himself.
But, what difference will a Zardari presidency make? What will be its impact on the domestic and international fronts?
For Pakistan, international relations now boil down to one thing: the "war on terror". Here Mr Zardari and his PPP will continue with Mr Musharraf's close alliance with Washington.
Unlike Mr Sharif, the nationalist Awami National Party, or the Islamist parties, the PPP has taken ownership of the antiterror fight, despite the huge unpopularity of this position within Pakistan.
"The war we our fighting is our war. This battle is for Pakistan's soul. My wife's inflexible stance on defeating terrorists cost her life. My party and I are struggling to save our nation," Mr Zardari wrote in an opinion piece in yesterday's Washington Post.
Under a colonial legacy, the head of state, that is the president of Pakistan, not the prime minister, rules over the tribal belt, the sliver of land that runs along the Afghan border, which is haven for extremists who menace both Pakistan and Afghanistan. So, for the US and the coalition forces in Afghanistan, who is president of Pakistan matters. There is every sign that the Americans are comfortable with Mr Zardari in the top position - the recent revelation of his close contacts with leading Bush administration official Zalmay Khalilzad confirmed his status
Mr Zardari's alignment with Washington will help safeguard his position and provide Pakistan with financial benefits.
"This is a very unpopular war but Zardari is signed up," said Rasul Bakhsh Rais, a political scientist at the Lahore University of Management Sciences. "This will keep the Pakistan army at a distance and improve Pakistan's economic situation."
In democratic politics, Mr Zardari will remain highly controversial. As party boss, he has already made the position of prime minister largely irrelevant.
As president, he will totally dominate, despite the fact that it is supposed to be a ceremonial position. Pakistan, in theory, has a parliamentary system of government, run by the prime minister. But Mr Musharraf, like other military usurpers before him, had grabbed enormous powers for the presidency, under a change in the constitution known as the 17th amendment.
Mr Zardari has suggested that he will "amend the constitution to bring back into balance the powers of the presidency". However, having thrice vowed to restore the judges fired by Mr Musharraf, and failing each time to fulfil the pledge, there is widespread scepticism that Mr Zardari will now strip the presidency back to its original figurehead role.
"There's a huge credibility gap," said Shaheen Sehbai, editor of The News, a Pakistani daily. "He's pretty insecure but maybe once he's president, we'll see a change in Mr Zardari."
Some of that insecurity may have surfaced this week when it emerged that the corruption courts had suddenly revived long-dormant cases against Mr Sharif. Many saw the hand of Mr Zardari behind it - despite claims from the government that it was surprised by the move.
He appeared to be warning Mr Sharif not to try to destabilise the government in Islamabad, from his regional power base in the Punjab. That was a sign that, if Mr Zardari and Mr Sharif decide to go to war, politics will get very ugly, and Pakistan's stability will come under a new threat.
According to some, that would invite the army back in, an institution that has staged multiple coups in Pakistan's short history.
With Pakistan in a perilous state, economically and from violent extremism, the stakes for Mr Zardari could not be higher.
sshah@thenational.ae
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
The Case For Trump
By Victor Davis Hanson
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Western Clubs Champions League:
- Friday, Sep 8 - Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Bahrain
- Friday, Sep 15 – Kandy v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
- Friday, Sep 22 – Kandy v Bahrain
The bio
Date of Birth: April 25, 1993
Place of Birth: Dubai, UAE
Marital Status: Single
School: Al Sufouh in Jumeirah, Dubai
University: Emirates Airline National Cadet Programme and Hamdan University
Job Title: Pilot, First Officer
Number of hours flying in a Boeing 777: 1,200
Number of flights: Approximately 300
Hobbies: Exercising
Nicest destination: Milan, New Zealand, Seattle for shopping
Least nice destination: Kabul, but someone has to do it. It’s not scary but at least you can tick the box that you’ve been
Favourite place to visit: Dubai, there’s no place like home
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Leap of Faith
Michael J Mazarr
Public Affairs
Dh67
Race card
1.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 50,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
2pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 84,000 (D) 1,400m
2.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 60,000 (D) 1,200m
3pm: Conditions (TB) Dh 100,000 (D) 1.950m
3.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 76,000 (D) 1,800m
4pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 60,000 (D) 1,600m
4.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 68,000 (D) 1,000m
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
How to avoid crypto fraud
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
TYPES%20OF%20ONLINE%20GIG%20WORK
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDesign%2C%20multimedia%20and%20creative%20work%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ELogo%20design%2C%20website%20design%2C%20visualisations%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBusiness%20and%20professional%20management%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ELegal%20or%20management%20consulting%2C%20architecture%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBusiness%20and%20professional%20support%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EResearch%20support%2C%20proofreading%2C%20bookkeeping%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESales%20and%20marketing%20support%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESearch%20engine%20optimisation%2C%20social%20media%20marketing%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EData%20entry%2C%20administrative%2C%20and%20clerical%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EData%20entry%20tasks%2C%20virtual%20assistants%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIT%2C%20software%20development%20and%20tech%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EData%20analyst%2C%20back-end%20or%20front-end%20developers%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EWriting%20and%20translation%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EContent%20writing%2C%20ghost%20writing%2C%20translation%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EOnline%20microtasks%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EImage%20tagging%2C%20surveys%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3ESource%3A%20World%20Bank%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Keane on …
Liverpool’s Uefa Champions League bid: “They’re great. With the attacking force they have, for me, they’re certainly one of the favourites. You look at the teams left in it - they’re capable of scoring against anybody at any given time. Defensively they’ve been good, so I don’t see any reason why they couldn’t go on and win it.”
Mohamed Salah’s debut campaign at Anfield: “Unbelievable. He’s been phenomenal. You can name the front three, but for him on a personal level, he’s been unreal. He’s been great to watch and hopefully he can continue now until the end of the season - which I’m sure he will, because he’s been in fine form. He’s been incredible this season.”
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s instant impact at former club LA Galaxy: “Brilliant. It’s been a great start for him and for the club. They were crying out for another big name there. They were lacking that, for the prestige of LA Galaxy. And now they have one of the finest stars. I hope they can go win something this year.”
Episode list:
Ep1: A recovery like no other- the unevenness of the economic recovery
Ep2: PCR and jobs - the future of work - new trends and challenges
Ep3: The recovery and global trade disruptions - globalisation post-pandemic
Ep4: Inflation- services and goods - debt risks
Ep5: Travel and tourism
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Opening day UAE Premiership fixtures, Friday, September 22:
- Dubai Sports City Eagles v Dubai Exiles
- Dubai Hurricanes v Abu Dhabi Saracens
- Jebel Ali Dragons v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2019 ASIAN CUP FINAL
Japan v Qatar
Friday, 6pm
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
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