By Asif Ali Zardari
When I was elected president more than a year ago, Pakistan was in grave condition, strained by terrorism and a ravaged economy. Countering the effects of a decade of dictatorship requires bold actions, some of which are unpopular. I am working with Parliament to run a country, not a political campaign. The goal of our democratic government is to implement policies that will dramatically improve the lives of Pakistanis. In time, good policies will become good politics.
Our economic crisis demanded unprecedented response. On taxes, education, agriculture and energy, we have shown that we must adapt, reform and become self-sufficient. Terrorists do not want Pakistan to succeed. They want to distract us from preparing for a stable and prosperous future. After a suicide bomber killed 75 people in northwestern Pakistan this month, U.S. media reports noted that “the militants’ objective is to sow terror among the general population in hopes of putting more political pressure on President Asif Ali Zardari’s government to back down.” But militants underestimate us. Just as our people refuse to be terrorized, our government refuses to be derailed from its course of fiscal responsibility, social accountability and financial transparency.
This column by President Zardari was published in the American newspaper Washington Post on 15 January. For the complete article, please click here.
One of the journalist mentioned the other day that
Asif Ali Zardari talks much more than he listens!
The article may impress the staff at WP but then again they may have been asked to publish it.We all know it’s emptiness when dipped in the chalice
of truth.Until his term ends in 2013 there will be
no reforms,the militants will continue with their game and the army will be kept engaged on both the
fronts.Does the President have the moral courage to ask all those in affluent positions of power to
stand down who were infected by NRO? Thou he himself has been innoculted by injection248,until
the effects of the antidoe finishes only then will
the nation see actual accountibility.Mr President
its time that you stop reading ‘romantic fiction’
and study those writers whose input would help your coterie in self-reformation towards improving
their integrity and of those in the nation who are
responsible for bring the divide.
@Khalid Rahim Why should anyone stand down because of NRO before they are actually found guilty? What other country does this? If you truly respect the judicial process, you will let the process play out and not try to force anyone to resign before they are found guilty in the court, not in the TV talk shows.
Adeel,
NRO was a cancerous scar imposed by a dictator to
benefit himself and his mentor’s other proteges.In
no civilized country would they allow any accused
person hold a public office let aside actually be
convicted.Should we not disband permenantly the Judiciary and allow this government to establish their own judges and their own justice to continue
in their acts of corruption and nepotism.If you are a beneficiary of NRO then good luck
Khalid bhai, I think one could hardly call Zardari the protege of Musharraf, and isn’t he really the only person anyone cares about on the NRO list? Actually, of course I do not think we should disband the Judiciary. You are trying to put these words in my mouth very dishonestly. Where have I ever said anything like this? Neither have I anywhere said that there should be allowed the continuation of corruption or nepotism. In fact, quite the opposite is true. If you can argue with my point, then please do. But your comment is only an attempt to assign statements to me that I never made. Please be honest!
Adeel, I never put words in anyone’s mouth but I
do wish I put pearls of wisdom. A wiseman by name
of Rewgari said- Stupidity is to look for something in a place where untutored imagination
expects to find it.It is,in fact,everywhere that
you can extract it.
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