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Asif Ali Zardari

February 16, 2024

Asif Ali Zardari (Urdu: آصف علی زرداری; Sindhi: آصف علي زرداري‎; born 26 July 1955) is a Pakistani politician who is the president of Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians and was the co-chairperson of Pakistan People's Party. He served as the 11th president of Pakistan from 2008 to 2013, the first president born after Independence. He is the widower of twice-elected Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto. He has been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan since August 2018.

Asif Ali Zardari
آصف علي زرداري
Zardari in 2011
11th President of Pakistan
In office
9 September 2008 – 9 September 2013
Prime MinisterYousaf Raza Gillani
Raja Pervaiz Ashraf
Mir Hazar Khan Khoso (Caretaker)
Nawaz Sharif
Preceded byMuhammad Soomro (acting)
Succeeded byMamnoon Hussain
Other political offices
President of PPP-P[1]
Assumed office
27 December 2015
Preceded byAmeen Faheem
Co-Chairperson of the PPP
In office
30 December 2007 – 27 December 2015
Preceded byPosition established
Spouse of the Prime Minister of Pakistan
In office
19 October 1993 – 5 November 1996
In office
2 December 1988 – 6 August 1990
Member of National Assembly of Pakistan
In office
13 August 2018 – 10 August 2023
Personal details
Born (1955-07-26) 26 July 1955 (age 68)
Karachi, Federal Capital Territory, Pakistan (now Sindh, Pakistan)
Political partyPakistan People's Party
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1987; died 2007)​
ChildrenBilawal Zardari
Bakhtawar Zardari
Aseefa Zardari
Parent(s)Bilquis Sultana
Hakim Ali Zardari[2]
RelativesSee Zardari family
NicknameMr. 10 Percent[3][4]
This article contains Urdu text. Without proper rendering support, you may see unjoined letters running left to right or other symbols instead of Urdu script.

Asif Zardari is famously known as "Mr. Ten (10) percent" in the Pakistan's political landscape, as he is alleged to demand 10% as kickbacks for the government contracts. [5]

The son of Hakim Ali Zardari, a landowner from Sindh, Zardari rose to prominence after his marriage to Benazir Bhutto in 1987, who became the Prime Minister of Pakistan after her election in 1988. When Bhutto's government was dismissed by President Ghulam Ishaq Khan in 1990, Zardari was widely criticized for involvement in corruption scandals that led to its collapse.[6][7] When Bhutto was reelected in 1993, Zardari served as Federal Investment Minister and Chairperson of Pakistan Environmental Protection Council. Following increasing tensions between Bhutto's brother Murtaza and Zardari, Murtaza was killed by police in Karachi on 20 September 1996.[8][9] Bhutto's government was dismissed a month later by President Farooq Leghari, while Zardari was arrested and indicted for Murtaza's murder as well as corruption charges.[10][11]

Although incarcerated, he nominally served in Parliament after being elected to the National Assembly in 1990 and Senate in 1997. He was released from jail in 2004 and went into self-exile to Dubai, but returned when Bhutto was assassinated on 27 December 2007. As the new co-chairman of the PPP, he led his party to victory in the 2008 general elections. He spearheaded a coalition that forced military ruler Pervez Musharraf to resign, and was elected president on 6 September 2008. He was acquitted of various criminal charges the same year.[12][8] When NAB try to arrest Hakam Ali Zardari, the father of Asif Ali Zardari, he approached Barrister Ijaz Hussain Batalvi to engage him as his Lawyer against NAB prosecution and Mr.Batalvi smiling ready to ask him if he get permission from his daughter in law (Benazir Bhutto) and he never came back, it revealed by Akhtar Aly Kureshy Advocate, a follower of Ijaz Hussain Batalvi legacy.

As president, Zardari remained a strong American ally in the war in Afghanistan, despite prevalent public disapproval of the United States following the Raymond Davis incident and the NATO attack in Salala in 2011. Domestically, Zardari achieved the passage of the Eighteenth Amendment in 2010, which constitutionally reduced his presidential powers. His attempt to prevent the reinstatement of Supreme Court judges failed in the face of massive protests led by his political rival Nawaz Sharif. The restored Supreme Court dismissed the PPP's elected Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani for contempt in 2012 after Gillani refused to write to the Government of Switzerland to reopen corruption cases against Zardari. Zardari's tenure was also criticised for mishandling nationwide floods in 2010, and growing terrorist violence. Following multiple bombings of Hazaras in Quetta in early 2013, Zardari dismissed his provincial government in Balochistan.

Towards the end of his term, Zardari recorded abysmally low approval ratings, ranging from 11 to 14%.[13][14] After the PPP was heavily defeated in the 2013 general election, Zardari became the country's first elected president to complete his constitutional term on 9 September 2013.[15] His legacy remains divisive, with political observers accusing his administration of corruption and cronyism.[16][17]

Early life and education

Zardari was born on 26 July 1955[18] in Karachi, Sindh[19][20] in the Zardari family. He is of Baloch origin, belonging to the Saraiki-speaking Zardari tribe.[18] He is the only son of Hakim Ali Zardari, a tribal chief and prominent landowner, and Bilquis Sultana Zardari.[19][21] His paternal grandmother was of Iraqi descent,[22] while his mother was the granddaughter of Hassan Ali Effendi, a Sindhi educationist who is known as the founder of the Sindh Madressatul Islam.[23][24][25]

In his youth, he enjoyed polo and boxing.[26] He led a polo team known as the Zardari Four.[27] His father owned Bambino[28]—a famous cinema in Karachi—and donated movie equipment to his school.[26] He also appeared in a 1969 movie, Salgira, as a child.[29] Zardari's academic background remains a question mark.[26] He received his primary education from Karachi Grammar School. His official biography says he graduated from Cadet College, Petaro in 1972.[18][26] He went to St Patrick's High School, Karachi from 1973 to 1974; a school clerk says he failed his final examination there.[26] In March 2008, he claimed he had graduated from the London School of Business Studies with a bachelor of education degree in the early 1970s.[28] Zardari's official biography states he also attended Pedinton School in Britain.[26][28][30] His British education, however, has not been confirmed, and a search did not turn up any Pedinton School in London.[26][28][30] The issue of his diploma was contentious because a 2002 rule required candidates for Parliament to hold a college degree,[28] but the rule was overturned by Pakistan's Supreme Court in April 2008.[26][30]

Career

Early political career and Benazir Bhutto era

Zardari's initial political career was unsuccessful. In 1983, he lost an election for a district council seat in Nawabshah, a city of Sindh, where his family owned thousands of acres of farmland.[26] He then went into real estate.[26]

He married Benazir Bhutto on 18 December 1987.[31][32] The arranged marriage, done in accordance with Pakistani culture, was initially considered an unlikely match.[31][32] The lavish sunset ceremony in Karachi was followed by immense night celebrations that included over 100,000 people.[31][32] The marriage enhanced Bhutto's political position in a country where older unmarried women are frowned upon.[31][32] Zardari deferred to his wife's wishes by agreeing to stay out of politics.[32]

In 1988, General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq died in a plane crash. A few months later, Bhutto became Pakistan's first female prime minister when her party won 94 of 207 seats contested in the 1988 elections.[citation needed]

Involvement in the first Bhutto Administration and first imprisonment

See also: Corruption charges against Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari
 
Zardari, Benazir Bhutto, and baby Bilawal in a state visit to Andrews Air Force Base in 1989

He generally stayed out of his wife's first administration, but he and his associates became entangled in corruption cases linked to the government.[6] He was largely blamed for the collapse of the Bhutto administration.[7]

After the dismissal of Bhutto's government in August 1990,[33] Benazir Bhutto and Zardari were prohibited from leaving the country by security forces under the direction of the Pakistan Army.[34] During the interim government between August and October, caretaker prime minister Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi, a Bhutto rival, initiated investigations of corruption by the Bhutto administration.[35] Jatoi accused Zardari of using his wife's political position to charge a ten percent commission for obtaining permission to set up any project or to receive loans.[35] He was tagged with the nickname "Mr. Ten Percent".[26]

He was arrested on 10 October 1990 on charges relating to kidnapping and extortion.[33][36] The charges alleged an extortion scheme that involved tying a supposed bomb to a British businessman's leg.[26] The Bhutto family considered the indictment politically motivated and fabricated.[36] In the October 1990 elections, he was elected to the National Assembly while in jail.[37] Bhutto and the PPP staged a walkout from the inaugural session of the National Assembly to protest Zardari's incarceration.[37] He posted $20,000 bail, but his release was blocked by a government ordinance that removed a court's power to release suspects being tried in the terrorist court, which fast-track trials for alleged terrorists.[7] The ordinance was later revoked and a special court acquitted him of bank fraud and conspiracy to murder political opponents.[7] He was freed in February 1993.[7] In March 1994, Zardari was acquitted of bank fraud charges.[38] All other corruption charges relating to Bhutto's first term were dropped or thrown out of the courts.[39]

On 25 March 1991, the hijackers aboard Singapore Airlines Flight 117 demanded Zardari's release among other demands. The hijackers were killed by Singapore Commandos.

Political involvement in the second Bhutto Administration

In April 1993, he became one of the 18 cabinet ministers in the caretaker government that succeeded Nawaz Sharif's first abridged premiership.[40] The caretaker government lasted until the July elections.[40] After Bhutto's election, he served as her Investment Minister,[39][41] chief of the intelligence bureau,[39] and the head of the Federal Investigation Agency.[39] In February 1994, Benazir sent Zardari to meet with Saddam Hussein in Iraq to deliver medicine in exchange for three detained Pakistanis arrested on the ambiguous Kuwait-Iraq border.[42] In April 1994, Zardari denied allegations that he was wielding unregulated influence as a spouse and acting as "de-facto Prime Minister".[43][44] In March 1995, he was appointed chairman of the new Environment Protection Council.[45][46]

During the beginning of the second Bhutto Administration, a Bhutto family feud between Benazir and her mother, Nusrat Bhutto, surfaced over the political future of Murtaza Bhutto, Nusrat's son and Benazir's younger brother.[47] Benazir thanked Zardari for his support.[47] In September 1996, Murtaza and seven others died in a shootout with police in Karachi, while the city was undergoing a three-year civil war.[48][49] At Murtaza's funeral, Nusrat accused Benazir and Zardari of being responsible and vowed to pursue prosecution.[39][48] Ghinwa Bhutto, Murtaza's widow, also accused Zardari of being behind his killing.[39][50] President Farooq Leghari, who would dismiss the Bhutto government seven weeks after Murtaza's death, also suspected Benazir and Zardari's involvement.[39] Several of Pakistan's leading newspapers alleged that Zardari wanted his brother-in-law out of the way because of Murtaza's activities as head of a breakaway faction of the PPP.[39]

In November 1996, Bhutto's government was dismissed by Leghari primarily because of corruption and Murtaza's death.[39] Zardari was arrested in Lahore while attempting to flee the country to Dubai.[39][49]

Jail and exile

The New York Times report

A major report was published in January 1998 by The New York Times detailing Zardari's vast corruption and misuse of public funds.[51] The report discussed $200 million in kickbacks to Zardari and a Pakistani partner for a $4 billion contract with French military contractor Dassault Aviation, in a deal that fell apart only when the Bhutto government was dismissed.[51] It contained details of two payments of $5 million each by a gold bullion dealer in return for a monopoly on gold imports.[51] It had information from Pakistani investigators that the Bhutto family had allegedly accrued more than $1.5 billion in illicit profits through kickbacks in virtually every sphere of government activity.[51] It also reported Zardari's mid-1990s spending spree, which included hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on jewellery.[51] The arrangements made by the Bhutto family for their wealth relied on Western property companies, Western lawyers, and a network of Western friends.[51] The report described how Zardari had arranged secret contracts, painstaking negotiations, and the dismissal of anyone who objected to his dealings.[51]

Citibank, already under fire for its private-banking practices, got into further trouble as a result of the report.[52] Zardari's financial history was one case study in a 1999 U.S. Senate report on vulnerabilities in banking procedures.[53]

Second imprisonment and conviction

In March 1997, Zardari was elected to the Senate while in a Karachi jail.[54][55] In December 1997, he was flown to Islamabad under tight security to take his oath.[54]

In July 1998, he was indicted for corruption in Pakistan after the Swiss government handed over documents to Pakistani authorities relating to money laundering.[56] The Swiss had also indicted him for money laundering.[56] At the same time, in a separate case, he and 18 others were indicted for conspiracy to murder Murtaza Bhutto.[57] After criminal prosecutions began, Citibank closed Zardari's account.[52]

In April 1999, Bhutto and Zardari were convicted for receiving indemnities from a Swiss goods inspection company that was hired to end corruption in the collection of customs duties.[58] The couple received a fine of $8.6 million.[58][59] Both were also sentenced to five years imprisonment, but Bhutto could not be extradited back to Pakistan from her self-imposed exile.[58][59] Zardari was already in jail awaiting trial on separate charges.[58][59] The evidence used against them had been gathered by Swiss investigators and the Pakistani Bureau of Accountability.[58][60]

In May 1999, he was hospitalised after an alleged attempted suicide.[61] He claimed it was a murder attempt by the police.[61]

In August 2003, a Swiss judge convicted Bhutto and Zardari of money laundering and sentenced them to six months imprisonment and a fine of $50,000.[62] In addition, they were required to return $11 million to the Pakistani government.[62] The conviction involved charges relating to kickbacks from two Swiss firms in exchange for customs fraud.[63] In France, Poland, and Switzerland, the couple faced additional allegations.[64]

In November 2004, he was released on bail by court order.[65][66][67] A month later, he was unexpectedly arrested for failing to show up for a hearing on a murder case in Islamabad.[65][66][67] He was placed under house arrest in Karachi.[65][67] A day later, he was released on $5,000 bail.[65][66] His release, rearrest, and then release again was regarded as a sign of growing reconciliation between Musharraf's government and the PPP.[65][66] After his second release in late 2004, he left for exile in Dubai.[26][68]

Exile and legal problems

He returned to Lahore in April 2005.[68][69][70] Police prevented him from holding rallies by escorting him from the airport to his home.[68][69][70] He criticised Musharraf's government, but rumours of reconciliation between Musharraf and the PPP grew.[69][70] Zardari went back to Dubai in May 2005.[71][72]

In June 2005, he had a heart attack and was treated in the United Arab Emirates.[71][72] A PPP spokesman stated he underwent angioplasty in the United States.[72] In September 2005, he did not show up for a Rawalpindi hearing on corruption charges; the court issued an arrest warrant.[72] His lawyers stated he could not come because he was recovering from his treatment.[72] Following a request by the Rawalpindi court, Interpol issued a red notice in January 2006 against the couple which called on member nations to decide on the couple's extradition.[73][74]

When Bhutto announced in September 2007 her upcoming return to Pakistan, her husband was in New York City undergoing medical treatment.[75] After the October 2007 bombing in Karachi that tainted Bhutto's return, he accused Pakistani intelligence services of being behind the attacks and claimed "it was not done by militants".[76][77] He had not accompanied Bhutto, staying in Dubai with their daughters. Bhutto called for the removal of the chief investigator of the attacks because she claimed he had been involved in Zardari's alleged torture in prison in 1999.[78]

In November 2007, Musharraf instituted emergency rule for six weeks (see Pakistani state of emergency, 2007),[79] under the pretext of rising Islamist militancy, a few days after Bhutto's departure for Dubai to meet with Zardari.[80][81] Immediately after the state of emergency was invoked, Bhutto returned to Pakistan, while Zardari again stayed behind in Dubai.[80][82] Emergency rule was initiated right before the Supreme Court of Pakistan began deliberations on the legality of Musharraf's U.S.-backed proposal—the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO)—to drop corruption charges against Bhutto and Zardari in return for a joint Bhutto-Musharraf coalition to govern Pakistan.[80][81] Bhutto and Zardari sympathised with Musharraf on his feud with the Supreme Court, but simultaneously criticised the imposition of martial law.[80][81][82] Before the Supreme Court could issue a decision, Musharraf replaced its members with his supporters.[80][81]

In the midst of his exile, Zardari had several different legal problems. In Pakistan, Musharraf granted him amnesty for his alleged offences through the National Reconciliation Ordinance, drafted in October 2007.[63] However, the ordinance faced mounting public pressure and an uncompromising judiciary.[63] In addition, it only dealt with charges up to 1999.[63] This left open the possibility of investigations into his alleged involvement in about $2 million in illegal kickbacks to Saddam Hussein, discovered in October 2005, under the oil-for-food program.[63] If the ordinance was rescinded, he would have had to deal with charges relating to evading duties on an armoured BMW, commissions from a Polish tractor manufacturer, and a kickback from a gold bullion dealer.[63] In Switzerland, Bhutto and Zardari appealed the 2003 Swiss conviction, which required the reopening of the case in October 2007.[63] In November 2007, Swiss authorities returned the frozen $60 million to him through offshore companies because of the National Reconciliation Ordinance.[83] In Spain, a criminal investigation was opened over the money laundering for the oil-for-food program because of the illicit profits handled through Spanish firms.[63] In Britain, he was fighting a civil case against the Pakistani government for the proceeds from the liquidation sale of a Surrey mansion.[63] He successfully used his medical diagnosis to postpone a verdict on his British manor trial.[84][85][86]

In exile, he shifted between homes in New York, London, and Dubai, where his three children lived.[26]

On the night of 27 December 2007, he returned to Pakistan following his wife's assassination.[87]

Co-chairperson of the PPP

Bhutto's assassination and succession

Main article: Assassination of Benazir Bhutto

Zardari prevented Bhutto's autopsy in accordance with Islamic principles.[88][89] He and their children attended her funeral, which was held the next day.[90] He denied government allegations that the assassination was sponsored by Al-Qaida.[88][91] He called for an international inquiry into her death and stated that she would still be alive if Musharraf's government had provided adequate protection.[89][92][93] He and his family offered to accept Musharraf's demand to exhume Bhutto's body in exchange for a United Nations inquiry, but Musharraf rejected the proposal.[94]

In Bhutto's political will, she had designated Zardari her successor as party leader.[88][91][95] However, their nineteen-year-old son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, became Chairman of the PPP because Zardari favoured Bilawal to represent Bhutto's legacy, in part to avoid division within the party due to his own unpopularity.[88][91][96] He did, however, serve as co-chairman of the PPP for at least three years until Bilawal completed his studies overseas.[88][95][96]

February parliamentary elections and coalition formation

Main article: 2008 Pakistani general election

Zardari called for no delays to the 8 January parliamentary elections and for the participation of all opposition parties.[88] Other major political parties quickly agreed to participate, ending any chance of a boycott.[88][89] Because of the turmoil after the Bhutto assassination, the elections were postponed six weeks to 18 February.[89][97] In January 2008, he suggested that if his party did win a majority, it might form a coalition with Musharraf's Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q).[97][98] He and Nawaz Sharif, leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (N) party (PML-N), threatened national protests if any vote-rigging was attempted.[98][99] He himself could not run for Parliament because he had not filed election papers in November 2008, back when he had no foreseeable political ambition while Bhutto was alive.[100]

The PPP and the PML-N won the largest and second largest number of seats respectively in the February elections.[100][101] He and Sharif agreed to form a coalition government, ending American hopes of a power-sharing deal between him and Musharraf.[100][101] They agreed to restore the judiciary, but Zardari took a less stringent stance than Sharif.[101][102] He met with U.S. ambassador Anne W. Patterson, who pushed for a pact with Musharraf.[101] To strengthen the new coalition, he reached out to Awami National Party, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, and Baloch nationalist leaders, who had all boycotted the elections.[103][104]

After weeks of speculation and party infighting, he said he did not want to become prime minister.[104][105][106] In mid-March 2008, he chose Yousaf Raza Gillani for prime minister in a snub to the more politically powerful Makhdoom Amin Fahim.[106]

Coalition government

See also: Movement to impeach Pervez Musharraf

He and Sharif agreed in a 9 March 2008 agreement, known as the Murree Declaration, to the reinstatement by 30 April 2008 of 60 judges previously sacked by Musharraf.[107][108] The deadline was later extended to 12 May.[107] He and Sharif held unsuccessful talks at London in May.[107][109] After the coalition failed to restore the judiciary, the PML-N withdrew from the government in mid-May, pulling its ministers out of the cabinet.[107][108][109][110][111] The coalition regrouped, again with the PML-N, and proposed a constitutional amendment that would remove the power of the President to dismiss Parliament.[108][110][111] By late May, the coalition was set in a confrontation with Musharraf.[110][111] At the same time, the government was successful in getting Pakistan readmitted to the Commonwealth.[112]

He and Sharif met in Lahore in June 2008 to discuss Musharraf's removal and the constitutional amendments, which the PML-N viewed as not going far enough to fulfill the Murree declaration.[108][113] He opposed impeachment calls because he claimed the coalition did not have the two-thirds majority in both legislative bodies—National Assembly and Senate.[108][113] He was unwilling to restore the judiciary as divisions in the coalition grew and popular sentiment shifted towards Sharif.[114][115] The coalition criticised the government for barring Sharif from competing in the June by-elections.[114][115][116] Because of the impasses over Musharraf and the judiciary, the coalition could not address rising food shortages and spiraling inflation, which was the highest in 30 years.[108]

In August 2008, Zardari relented, and the coalition agreed to proceed full speed towards Musharraf's impeachment by drafting a charge-sheet against him.[117][118] The coalition charged him with high treason for the 1999 coup and the imposition of martial law.[117] He warned Musharraf against dismissing Parliament, and the coalition selected Gillani instead of Musharraf to represent Pakistan at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.[118][119] On 18 August, Musharraf resigned in order to avoid impeachment.[120][121][122][123] Although Zardari favoured granting Musharraf immunity from prosecution, the coalition could not agree on a decision.[120][121][123] The coalition also could not reach a united stance on the future of the judiciary.[120][121][122][123]

Rise to presidency

Main article: 2008 Pakistani presidential election

Presidential elections were held within three weeks after the departure of Musharraf.[124] Zardari vowed to pursue an unpopular campaign against tribal militancy in Pakistan and had the support of the United States.[124][125][126] He claimed he had a London business school degree to satisfy a prerequisite for the presidency, but his party did not produce a certificate.[127] He was endorsed by the PPP and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) for the presidency.[128] The PML-N nominated former justice Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddiqui, while the PML-Q put forth Mushahid Hussain Sayed.[129][130] Zardari won a majority in the Electoral College with 481 of 702 votes.[election 1][124][130][131][132] He was elected president on 6 September 2008.[election 2][133][134]

President of Pakistan

Initial days

 
Zardari with Emomali Rahmon, Dmitry Medvedev and Hamid Karzai

At the inauguration on 9 September 2008, Afghan President Hamid Karzai was a guest of honour, which was a signal for much closer cooperation between the two nations in addressing the tribal insurgency along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.[135][136] After the election, Zardari promised to approve the constitutional provision that removed the President's power to dismiss Parliament, but public scepticism remained on whether he would actually carry out his promise.[124] His economic competence was questioned after allegations that he had raised grain procurement prices through inflationary subsidies and scrapped the capital gains tax.[137] His first parliamentary speech was overshadowed by 20 September Islamabad Marriott Hotel bombing.[138][139][140] A few days later, he went to the United Nations Headquarters in New York City on his first overseas trip as president.[141]

 
Zardari and Bush meeting in 2008.

United Nations visit

See also: Pakistan and the United Nations

From 23 to 26 September 2008, he met with various foreign leaders, including U.S. President George W. Bush and Chinese President Hu Jintao.[142][143][144] He suffered political embarrassment by flirting with U.S. vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and making tongue-in-cheek comments about her.[145][146][147][148] Although, at the United Nations General Assembly, he publicly condemned U.S drone attacks in Pakistan,[149] The Washington Post reported that he had signed a "secret deal" when he met with senior American officials that arranged for the coordination of Predator strikes and a jointly approved list of prominent targets.[150][151] He and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh agreed to resume peace talks by the end of 2008.[152]

Economic crises

See also: Periods of stagflation in Pakistan

From 14 to 17 October 2008, he was in China[153][154] to negotiate foreign aid, as Pakistan faced the possibility of defaulting on its payments.[155] China refused to offer any aid commitments, but instead promised to provide assistance in the development of two nuclear power plants and more future business investments.[153][155]

After Saudi Arabia, Britain, China, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates refused to provide any bailout,[156] he officially asked the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for assistance in solving Pakistan's balance of payments problem on 22 October.[157]

He went to Saudi Arabia from 4 to 6 November in hopes of obtaining financial aid and securing trade agreements.[158][159] However, leaked cables revealed increasingly strained relations between Zardari and Saudi royalty, primarily because of Saudi distrust of Zardari and preference for Sharif.[160][161][162] Weaker cooperation led to decreased oil subsidies as part of a broader Saudi policy of withholding monetary assistance.[160][162]

In mid-November 2008, Zardari's government officially sent a letter of intent to the IMF regarding a bailout to help increase its foreign exchange reserves.[163] In a $11.3 billion multi-year loan package, Pakistan received a $7.4 billion loan for 2008–10.[164][165] The IMF stipulated stringent reform conditions, which included rebuilding the tax structure and privatising state enterprises.[165] The World Bank and Asian Development Bank withheld a combined $3 billion aid in the 2010–11 fiscal year and the IMF withheld since May 2010 the last segment of its aid package.[165]

In January 2011, the MQM withdrew from the government.[166][167] Zardari's ruling coalition averted a government collapse by accepting the opposition's economic proposals, which restored gas subsidies and abandoned many of the IMF's suggested reforms.[election 3][166]

In an effort to curb government expenditures, Zardari swore in an "austerity cabinet" in February 2011 which reduced the cabinet from 60 ministers to 22.[168]

Foreign policy

Relationship with India

See also: Indo-Pakistani relations

In early October 2008, he received fierce domestic criticism for repeatedly calling Kashmiri nationalists (see Kashmir conflict) in India "terrorists".[169][170] In mid-November 2008, he suggested Pakistan was ready for a no-first-use nuclear policy and called for closer economic ties.[163][171]

The relationship between the two nations was damaged by the November 2008 Mumbai attacks. He initially denied any links between the perpetrators and Pakistan,[172] but the government soon pursued military action against Lashkar-e-Taiba leaders in a 7 December raid.[173][174] India cleared Zardari's government of any direct involvement in the attacks, but simultaneously demanded the extradition of 20 Pakistanis which it alleged had taken part in them.[175] Zardari offered to send Inter-Services Intelligence Director-General Ahmed Shuja Pasha to assist in the investigation.[175]

In June 2009, Zardari met Singh for the first time since the Mumbai attacks at a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Yekaterinburg, Russia.[176]

On 8 April 2012, President Zardari, along with his son Bilawal Zardari Bhutto, visited Dargah Sharif in Ajmer, India on a private visit. He also met with the Indian prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh.[177][178]

War in Afghanistan

See also: Afghanistan–Pakistan relations
 
Vice President-Elect Joe Biden meets Zardari in January 2009

The government has had a longstanding conflict in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistani regions bordering Afghanistan. Diplomatic relations with Afghan President Hamid Karzai improved after Musharraf's departure and Zardari's rise to power.[179] The Obama administration's AfPak policy, through AfPak envoy Richard Holbrooke, reflected the unified approach the United States took in dealing with Afghanistan and Pakistan.[180]

In his first visit to Afghanistan as president in early January 2009, Zardari promised a renewed relationship to improve cooperation.[181][182] In late March, Obama announced a civilian aid package of $7.5 billion over five years in return for cooperation in the AfPak conflict.[183][184][185] In late April, British prime minister Gordon Brown visited Zardari and promised $1 billion over the next four years.[186] In May, Obama held a trilateral summit in Washington D.C., with Karzai and Zardari, where they discussed further cooperation.[187] At Brussels in mid-June, Zardari unsuccessfully sought trade concessions from the European Union; it instead pledged $90 million development aid to curtail tribal influence by insurgents.[188][189][190] After the U.S. Congress passed Obama's civilian aid package in October,[191][192] army generals in the Pakistani military establishment widened the growing rift with Zardari's government and openly criticised U.S. interference.[193][194]

 
Hamid Karzai, Joe Biden, Barack Obama, and Zardari after the Afghanistan-U.S.-Pakistan trilateral meeting in May 2009

In February 2009, FATA's provincial government officially declared Islamic law in Swat to achieve a ceasefire with the northwestern Pashtun tribes.[195] Because the United States and Britain opposed the measure,[196][197] Zardari did not sign the Swat ceasefire until mid-April, when domestic pressure from Parliament mounted.[195] By the end of April, the agreement collapsed as the Pakistani military pursued an unpopular offensive in the neighbouring Dir district.[198][199]

In September 2010, Zardari and Karzai met in Islamabad and both advocated fighting insurgents rather than trying to end the war with diplomacy.[200] Zardari went to the United States in January 2011 to attend Special Envoy Holbrooke's funeral.[201] Following Osama bin Laden's death in a compound in Abbottabad in May 2011, Obama called Zardari and collaborated on the events.[202]

Reinstatement of the judiciary

 
Zardari and Hillary Clinton

In February 2009, Zardari and the Musharraf-appointed Supreme Court attempted to disqualify Nawaz Sharif from running in any elections[203] and tried to force his brother Shahbaz Sharif to resign as Chief Minister of Punjab province.[204][205][206] Zardari dismissed the Punjab provincial government[207] and only partially reinstated the judiciary by restoring 56 other judges deposed by Musharraf—but not their former leader, Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry.[208][209] After Nawaz Sharif defied house arrest and rallied with thousands of his supporters,[210] the Sharif brothers vowed to join forces with the Lawyers' Movement in the "Long March".[211][212] Zardari's government gave in to popular pressure[211] and Prime Minister Gilani in an early morning speech on 16 March 2009 promised to reinstate Chaudhry by 21 March.[213][214] Ten judges were reinstated on 16 March, and Chaudry assumed his position on 22 March.[215][216] Zardari's month-long direct control of the Punjab ended on 30 March.[183][216][217]

Nizam-e-Adl Regulation

Further information: Nizam-e-Adl Regulation 2009

In April 2009, President Asif Ali Zardari signed the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation into law. The regulation formally established Sharia law in the Malakand division.[218]

Reduction of presidential powers

See also: Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan

In late November 2009, Zardari ceded to Prime Minister Gillani the chairmanship of the National Command Authority, Pakistan's nuclear arsenal oversight agency.[219][220]

In December 2009, the Supreme Court ruled that the National Reconciliation Ordinance amnesty was unconstitutional, which cleared the way for the revival of corruption cases against Zardari.[221] Although Zardari had immunity from prosecution because he was president,[83] the end of NRO and his earlier corruption cases challenged the legality of his presidency.[222] Calls for his resignation escalated.[223][224] Zardari, who rarely left the Aiwan-e-Sadr presidential palace,[225] responded with a nationwide spurt of speeches in January 2011.[226] In January 2010, the Supreme Court ordered Pakistan's government to reopen Zardari's corruption charges in Switzerland.[227][228] However, Zardari prevented the MQM-leaning Attorney General, Anwar Mansoor, from filing charges,[229] so Mansoor resigned in protest in early April.[230] That same month, Zardari won a key victory against the judiciary over his corruption trials when Geneva Attorney General Daniel Zappelli stated that Zardari can not be prosecuted under international laws because of his presidential immunity.[231][232] Zardari was supported by Prime Minister Gilani, who defied the Supreme Court order.[233]

In February 2010, Zardari sparked a standoff by attempting to appoint a Supreme Court candidate without the court's approval,[234] but the confrontation ended after he backed down and nominated a candidate acceptable by the court.[235]

In April 2010, after months of political pressure, the government passed the 18th Amendment, which reduced the President to a ceremonial figurehead by stripping the office of the power to dissolve Parliament, to dismiss the Prime Minister, and to appoint military chiefs.[236][237][238] The amendment also lifted the restriction of two terms as prime minister, which enabled Zardari's foremost political rival, Nawaz Sharif, to seek a third term.[236][237][239] The amendment was passed with virtually unanimous support in Parliament[238] and Zardari himself espoused the legislation because of political pressure.[237][239] After the 18th Amendment, Zardari's main power derived from his position as leader of the PPP, which controls the largest bloc in Parliament.[236][237]

In late September 2010, the Supreme Court considered removing presidential immunity.[240] In October, Chief Justice Chaudry met with his colleagues to discuss troubling media rumours that Zardari's government was planning to fire them; Chaudry requested government assurance that the stories were unfounded.[241] In early January 2011, Zardari signed the 19th Amendment, which lessened the likelihood of future clashes between the President and the judiciary by strengthening the power of the Chief Justice in deciding judicial appointments.[242][243]

In March 2011, Zardari delivered his annual parliamentary address to a half-empty chamber because of an opposition walkout.[244]

In November 2012, the Pakistan government in response to the court orders, finally wrote to the Swiss authorities seeking to reopen the corruption cases against Zardari.[245] The Swiss government responded by saying that the corruption cases being time-barred cannot be reopened.[246]

2010 Pakistan floods and Europe tour

The 2010 Pakistan floods began in late July with rain in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and soon submerged a fifth of Pakistan and affected 20 million people, resulting in one of the nation's largest natural catastrophes. Simultaneously, British prime minister David Cameron sparked a serious diplomatic row with Pakistan during his visit to India[247] by stating that elements within Pakistan were promoting the "export of terror" a week before a planned visit by Zardari to Britain.[248][249][250] Zardari ignored domestic pressure[251][252] and began his European trip in Paris on 1 August, meeting French President Sarkozy.[249][253][254] In France, he drew a rebuke from the U.S. after stating that NATO had "lost the battle for hearts and minds" in the Afghan war.[255][256][257] As the flood's devastation became increasingly evident, he was widely criticised for flying in a helicopter to his Normandy chateau[258][259][260] and dining at Cameron's Chequers countryside home.[261][262][263] Protests within Britain, mainly among the British Pakistani community, grew against his visit.[264][265] The widely expected maiden speech by his son Bilawal was cancelled,[266] as Zardari faced criticism for using the trip to advance Bilawal's political aspirations.[267]

Zardari returned to Pakistan on 10 August.[268] He first visit to an area affected by the flooding was in Sukkur on 12 August.[268] He cancelled the 14 August Independence Day celebrations and instead visited Naushera.[269] He flew over devastated areas with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on 15 August.[270] He left the country on 18 August and attended the four-way Russian summit at Sochi, which included Tajikistan and Afghanistan.[271] On 19 August, he visited Jampur with U.S. Senator John Kerry.[272][273] He ordered local authorities to concentrate efforts to save Shahdadkot from inundation on 24 August.[274]

2011 Dubai hospitalisation

In early December 2011 Zardari flew to Dubai undergoing medical tests and treatment, reportedly for a "small stroke".[275] According to the prime minister, Yousuf Raza Gilani, Zardari sought medical treatment outside of Pakistan because of "threats to his life".[276] He finds himself currently in the midst of the "Memogate" controversy.[276] Zardari left the hospital on 14 December to recuperate at the Persian Gulf, while his son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party, assumed a more prominent role in Pakistan.[277] By 19 December, Zardari had returned to Pakistan.[278]

China Pakistan Economic Corridor

Pakistan and China on 22 May 2013 inked several Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) that mainly included the long-term Economic Corridor plan, maritime cooperation and satellite navigation. President Asif Ali Zardari and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang witnessed the signing ceremony as the representatives of the two countries inked the documents at a ceremony held at the Aiwan-e-Sadr. The visit of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang marked the signing of important documents aimed at long-term cooperation between the two countries in multiple areas.[279]

Completion of presidential tenure

Zardari completed his five-year term on 8 September 2013,[280][281] becoming the first democratically elected president in the 66-year-long history of Pakistan to complete his tenure. He received a guard of honour while leaving the Aiwan-e-Sadr.[282] He was succeeded by Mamnoon Hussain as president.[283]

Post-presidency

He became active in the PPP, which he voted to revamp, after his presidency.[284] He succeeded Ameen Faheem as chairman of PPPP in 2015.[285] In December 2016, he announced that both he and his son Bilawal, would contest the 2018 general election.[286]

In July 2017, during the investigation of Panama Papers case, Zardari demanded Nawaz Sharif's resignation.[287] In August 2017, Pakistan's anti-corruption acquitted him from his last pending case in which he was accused along with his late wife, Benazir Bhutto, of laundering illegal kickbacks and maintaining assets beyond known sources of income. The case had dogged him for 19 years.[288][289] His rival Imran Khan believed that Zardari's acquittal was the result of a deal between PML-N and PPP. However he denied any kind of collaboration.[290] The National Accountability Bureau also challenged the acquittal.[291] On 2 September, after his wife's murder case verdict which declared Pervez Musharraf as fugitive and convicted two senior police officer, he said that he was not satisfied with the verdict and that he will appeal the judgment as it had acquitted five Pakistani Taliban suspects.[292] In 2019, he was arrested in Islamabad over a money laundering case.[293] An anti-graft court issued an indictment of Zardari on corruption charges on 10 August 2020.[294][295]

Personal life

Family

Zardari and Benazir Bhutto had one son and two daughters. His son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, is the current Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party. His older daughter, Bakhtawar, was born on 25 January 1990,[296] and his younger daughter, Aseefa, was born on 3 February 1993.[297] After Benazir Bhutto's death, his sister Faryal Talpur became the guardian of his children[20] and he changed Bilawal Zardari's name to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.[298][299]

His mother died in November 2002, during his detention in jail.[300] His father Hakim Ali Zardari died in May 2011.[301] After that he became the chieftain of the Zardari tribe. However, initially he had decided not to assume leadership and wanted to pass the position to his son Bilawal.[302][301]

Spirituality

Zardari is known to seek the advice of "soothsayers and healers", especially during times of political troubles. He has visited Prof. Ahmad Rafique Akhtar, a well-known Sufi scholar based in Gujar Khan who often counsels government officials and military leaders. During his presidency, he would consult with his then spiritual leader, Pir Mohammad Ejaz, about such matters as travel times, and animals were sacrificed during particularly trying periods.[303][304]

Health

His mental health has been a subject of controversy.[84][85] He has repeatedly claimed he was tortured while in prison.[305] He was diagnosed with dementia, major depressive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder from 2005 to 2007, which helped influence the verdict of one of his corruption trials.[84][85][86] He now claims he is completely healthy, with only high blood pressure and diabetes.[84][85]

Wealth

In 2005, Daily Pakistan reported he was the second richest man in Pakistan with an estimated net worth of $1.8 billion.[306] He amassed great wealth while his wife was prime minister.[39] In 2007, he received $60 million in his Swiss bank account through offshore companies under his name.[83] He was reported to have estates in Surrey, West End of London, Manhattan (a condominium in Belaire Apartments), and Dubai,[27][39] as well as a 16th-century chateau in Normandy.[259] In Britain, he used a common legal device—the purchase of property through nominees with no family link to the Bhuttos.[39] His homes in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad are called Bilawal House I,[307] Bilawal House II,[308] and Zardari House[309] respectively.

Surrey estate

He bought a 365-acre (148-hectare) 20-bedroom luxury estate in Rockwood, Surrey in 1995 through a chain of firms, trusts, and offshore companies in 1994.[20][58][63][310][311] The country home's refurbishment abruptly ended in October 1996, shortly before the end of his wife's second term.[311] He initially denied for eight years that he owned the property and no one paid the bills for the work on the unoccupied mansion.[63][310] Creditors forced a liquidation sale in 2004 and the Pakistani government claimed the proceeds because the home had been bought with money obtained through corruption.[63] However, he stepped in to claim that he actually was the beneficial owner.[27] As of November 2008, the proceeds were in a liquidator bank account while a civil case continues.[63]

The estate includes two farms, lodgings, staff accommodation, and a basement made into an imitation of a local pub.[20][310] The manor has nine bedrooms and an indoor swimming pool.[311]

He had sent large shipments from Karachi in the 1990s for the refurbishment of Surrey Palace.[63] He has faced allegations from various people, including the daughter of Laila Shahzada,[312] that he acquired stolen art to decorate the palace.[311] He earlier had plans for a helipad, a nine-hole golf course, and a polo pony paddock.[63]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The Electoral College is composed of the Senate, the National Assembly, and the four provincial assemblies. The parliamentary lower house National Assembly has 342 seats. The upper house Senate has 100 seats. The four provincial assemblies are Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan respectively. The assemblies have total of 1170 seats, but the number of Electoral College votes is 702 since provincial assembly votes are counted on a proportional basis. A person needs to win 352 votes to obtain a majority.
  2. ^ The President serves for five years.
  3. ^ In Pakistan, a government falls not by losing a majority but after a no-confidence vote.

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External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Asif Ali Zardari.
 
Wikiquote has quotations related to Asif Ali Zardari.

Works

  • President Zardari's 2008 address to the 63rd session of the United Nations General Assembly
  • The Terrorists Want to Destroy Pakistan, Too
  • Partnership With Pakistan
  • Pakistan Is Steadfast Against Terror
  • "Democracy Is the Greatest Revenge"
  • Pakistan's Project of Renewal
  • Pakistan Did Its Part
Party political offices
Preceded by Co-Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party
2007–2015
Served alongside: Bilawal Bhutto Zardari 		Vacant
Preceded by President of the Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians
2015–present 		Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by President of Pakistan
2008–2013 		Succeeded by

February 16, 2024
asif, zardari, urdu, آصف, علی, زرداری, sindhi, آصف, علي, زرداري, born, july, 1955, pakistani, politician, president, pakistan, peoples, party, parliamentarians, chairperson, pakistan, people, party, served, 11th, president, pakistan, from, 2008, 2013, first, p. Asif Ali Zardari Urdu آصف علی زرداری Sindhi آصف علي زرداري born 26 July 1955 is a Pakistani politician who is the president of Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians and was the co chairperson of Pakistan People s Party He served as the 11th president of Pakistan from 2008 to 2013 the first president born after Independence He is the widower of twice elected Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto He has been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan since August 2018 Asif Ali Zardariآصف علي زرداريZardari in 201111th President of PakistanIn office 9 September 2008 9 September 2013Prime MinisterYousaf Raza GillaniRaja Pervaiz AshrafMir Hazar Khan Khoso Caretaker Nawaz SharifPreceded byMuhammad Soomro acting Succeeded byMamnoon HussainOther political officesPresident of PPP P 1 IncumbentAssumed office 27 December 2015Preceded byAmeen FaheemCo Chairperson of the PPPIn office 30 December 2007 27 December 2015Serving with Bilawal Bhutto ZardariPreceded byPosition establishedSpouse of the Prime Minister of PakistanIn office 19 October 1993 5 November 1996In office 2 December 1988 6 August 1990Member of National Assembly of PakistanIn office 13 August 2018 10 August 2023Personal detailsBorn 1955 07 26 26 July 1955 age 68 Karachi Federal Capital Territory Pakistan now Sindh Pakistan Political partyPakistan People s PartySpouseBenazir Bhutto m 1987 died 2007 wbr ChildrenBilawal ZardariBakhtawar ZardariAseefa ZardariParent s Bilquis SultanaHakim Ali Zardari 2 RelativesSee Zardari familyNicknameMr 10 Percent 3 4 This article contains Urdu text Without proper rendering support you may see unjoined letters running left to right or other symbols instead of Urdu script Asif Zardari is famously known as Mr Ten 10 percent in the Pakistan s political landscape as he is alleged to demand 10 as kickbacks for the government contracts 5 The son of Hakim Ali Zardari a landowner from Sindh Zardari rose to prominence after his marriage to Benazir Bhutto in 1987 who became the Prime Minister of Pakistan after her election in 1988 When Bhutto s government was dismissed by President Ghulam Ishaq Khan in 1990 Zardari was widely criticized for involvement in corruption scandals that led to its collapse 6 7 When Bhutto was reelected in 1993 Zardari served as Federal Investment Minister and Chairperson of Pakistan Environmental Protection Council Following increasing tensions between Bhutto s brother Murtaza and Zardari Murtaza was killed by police in Karachi on 20 September 1996 8 9 Bhutto s government was dismissed a month later by President Farooq Leghari while Zardari was arrested and indicted for Murtaza s murder as well as corruption charges 10 11 Although incarcerated he nominally served in Parliament after being elected to the National Assembly in 1990 and Senate in 1997 He was released from jail in 2004 and went into self exile to Dubai but returned when Bhutto was assassinated on 27 December 2007 As the new co chairman of the PPP he led his party to victory in the 2008 general elections He spearheaded a coalition that forced military ruler Pervez Musharraf to resign and was elected president on 6 September 2008 He was acquitted of various criminal charges the same year 12 8 When NAB try to arrest Hakam Ali Zardari the father of Asif Ali Zardari he approached Barrister Ijaz Hussain Batalvi to engage him as his Lawyer against NAB prosecution and Mr Batalvi smiling ready to ask him if he get permission from his daughter in law Benazir Bhutto and he never came back it revealed by Akhtar Aly Kureshy Advocate a follower of Ijaz Hussain Batalvi legacy As president Zardari remained a strong American ally in the war in Afghanistan despite prevalent public disapproval of the United States following the Raymond Davis incident and the NATO attack in Salala in 2011 Domestically Zardari achieved the passage of the Eighteenth Amendment in 2010 which constitutionally reduced his presidential powers His attempt to prevent the reinstatement of Supreme Court judges failed in the face of massive protests led by his political rival Nawaz Sharif The restored Supreme Court dismissed the PPP s elected Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani for contempt in 2012 after Gillani refused to write to the Government of Switzerland to reopen corruption cases against Zardari Zardari s tenure was also criticised for mishandling nationwide floods in 2010 and growing terrorist violence Following multiple bombings of Hazaras in Quetta in early 2013 Zardari dismissed his provincial government in Balochistan Towards the end of his term Zardari recorded abysmally low approval ratings ranging from 11 to 14 13 14 After the PPP was heavily defeated in the 2013 general election Zardari became the country s first elected president to complete his constitutional term on 9 September 2013 15 His legacy remains divisive with political observers accusing his administration of corruption and cronyism 16 17 Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Career 2 1 Early political career and Benazir Bhutto era 2 2 Involvement in the first Bhutto Administration and first imprisonment 2 3 Political involvement in the second Bhutto Administration 3 Jail and exile 3 1 The New York Times report 3 2 Second imprisonment and conviction 3 3 Exile and legal problems 4 Co chairperson of the PPP 4 1 Bhutto s assassination and succession 4 2 February parliamentary elections and coalition formation 4 3 Coalition government 4 4 Rise to presidency 5 President of Pakistan 5 1 Initial days 5 2 United Nations visit 5 3 Economic crises 5 4 Foreign policy 5 4 1 Relationship with India 5 4 2 War in Afghanistan 5 5 Reinstatement of the judiciary 5 6 Nizam e Adl Regulation 5 7 Reduction of presidential powers 5 8 2010 Pakistan floods and Europe tour 5 9 2011 Dubai hospitalisation 5 10 China Pakistan Economic Corridor 6 Completion of presidential tenure 7 Post presidency 8 Personal life 8 1 Family 8 2 Spirituality 8 3 Health 8 4 Wealth 8 5 Surrey estate 9 See also 10 Notes 11 References 12 External links 12 1 WorksEarly life and educationZardari was born on 26 July 1955 18 in Karachi Sindh 19 20 in the Zardari family He is of Baloch origin belonging to the Saraiki speaking Zardari tribe 18 He is the only son of Hakim Ali Zardari a tribal chief and prominent landowner and Bilquis Sultana Zardari 19 21 His paternal grandmother was of Iraqi descent 22 while his mother was the granddaughter of Hassan Ali Effendi a Sindhi educationist who is known as the founder of the Sindh Madressatul Islam 23 24 25 In his youth he enjoyed polo and boxing 26 He led a polo team known as the Zardari Four 27 His father owned Bambino 28 a famous cinema in Karachi and donated movie equipment to his school 26 He also appeared in a 1969 movie Salgira as a child 29 Zardari s academic background remains a question mark 26 He received his primary education from Karachi Grammar School His official biography says he graduated from Cadet College Petaro in 1972 18 26 He went to St Patrick s High School Karachi from 1973 to 1974 a school clerk says he failed his final examination there 26 In March 2008 he claimed he had graduated from the London School of Business Studies with a bachelor of education degree in the early 1970s 28 Zardari s official biography states he also attended Pedinton School in Britain 26 28 30 His British education however has not been confirmed and a search did not turn up any Pedinton School in London 26 28 30 The issue of his diploma was contentious because a 2002 rule required candidates for Parliament to hold a college degree 28 but the rule was overturned by Pakistan s Supreme Court in April 2008 26 30 CareerEarly political career and Benazir Bhutto era Zardari s initial political career was unsuccessful In 1983 he lost an election for a district council seat in Nawabshah a city of Sindh where his family owned thousands of acres of farmland 26 He then went into real estate 26 He married Benazir Bhutto on 18 December 1987 31 32 The arranged marriage done in accordance with Pakistani culture was initially considered an unlikely match 31 32 The lavish sunset ceremony in Karachi was followed by immense night celebrations that included over 100 000 people 31 32 The marriage enhanced Bhutto s political position in a country where older unmarried women are frowned upon 31 32 Zardari deferred to his wife s wishes by agreeing to stay out of politics 32 In 1988 General Muhammad Zia ul Haq died in a plane crash A few months later Bhutto became Pakistan s first female prime minister when her party won 94 of 207 seats contested in the 1988 elections citation needed Involvement in the first Bhutto Administration and first imprisonment See also Corruption charges against Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari nbsp Zardari Benazir Bhutto and baby Bilawal in a state visit to Andrews Air Force Base in 1989He generally stayed out of his wife s first administration but he and his associates became entangled in corruption cases linked to the government 6 He was largely blamed for the collapse of the Bhutto administration 7 After the dismissal of Bhutto s government in August 1990 33 Benazir Bhutto and Zardari were prohibited from leaving the country by security forces under the direction of the Pakistan Army 34 During the interim government between August and October caretaker prime minister Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi a Bhutto rival initiated investigations of corruption by the Bhutto administration 35 Jatoi accused Zardari of using his wife s political position to charge a ten percent commission for obtaining permission to set up any project or to receive loans 35 He was tagged with the nickname Mr Ten Percent 26 He was arrested on 10 October 1990 on charges relating to kidnapping and extortion 33 36 The charges alleged an extortion scheme that involved tying a supposed bomb to a British businessman s leg 26 The Bhutto family considered the indictment politically motivated and fabricated 36 In the October 1990 elections he was elected to the National Assembly while in jail 37 Bhutto and the PPP staged a walkout from the inaugural session of the National Assembly to protest Zardari s incarceration 37 He posted 20 000 bail but his release was blocked by a government ordinance that removed a court s power to release suspects being tried in the terrorist court which fast track trials for alleged terrorists 7 The ordinance was later revoked and a special court acquitted him of bank fraud and conspiracy to murder political opponents 7 He was freed in February 1993 7 In March 1994 Zardari was acquitted of bank fraud charges 38 All other corruption charges relating to Bhutto s first term were dropped or thrown out of the courts 39 On 25 March 1991 the hijackers aboard Singapore Airlines Flight 117 demanded Zardari s release among other demands The hijackers were killed by Singapore Commandos Political involvement in the second Bhutto Administration In April 1993 he became one of the 18 cabinet ministers in the caretaker government that succeeded Nawaz Sharif s first abridged premiership 40 The caretaker government lasted until the July elections 40 After Bhutto s election he served as her Investment Minister 39 41 chief of the intelligence bureau 39 and the head of the Federal Investigation Agency 39 In February 1994 Benazir sent Zardari to meet with Saddam Hussein in Iraq to deliver medicine in exchange for three detained Pakistanis arrested on the ambiguous Kuwait Iraq border 42 In April 1994 Zardari denied allegations that he was wielding unregulated influence as a spouse and acting as de facto Prime Minister 43 44 In March 1995 he was appointed chairman of the new Environment Protection Council 45 46 During the beginning of the second Bhutto Administration a Bhutto family feud between Benazir and her mother Nusrat Bhutto surfaced over the political future of Murtaza Bhutto Nusrat s son and Benazir s younger brother 47 Benazir thanked Zardari for his support 47 In September 1996 Murtaza and seven others died in a shootout with police in Karachi while the city was undergoing a three year civil war 48 49 At Murtaza s funeral Nusrat accused Benazir and Zardari of being responsible and vowed to pursue prosecution 39 48 Ghinwa Bhutto Murtaza s widow also accused Zardari of being behind his killing 39 50 President Farooq Leghari who would dismiss the Bhutto government seven weeks after Murtaza s death also suspected Benazir and Zardari s involvement 39 Several of Pakistan s leading newspapers alleged that Zardari wanted his brother in law out of the way because of Murtaza s activities as head of a breakaway faction of the PPP 39 In November 1996 Bhutto s government was dismissed by Leghari primarily because of corruption and Murtaza s death 39 Zardari was arrested in Lahore while attempting to flee the country to Dubai 39 49 Jail and exileThe New York Times report A major report was published in January 1998 by The New York Times detailing Zardari s vast corruption and misuse of public funds 51 The report discussed 200 million in kickbacks to Zardari and a Pakistani partner for a 4 billion contract with French military contractor Dassault Aviation in a deal that fell apart only when the Bhutto government was dismissed 51 It contained details of two payments of 5 million each by a gold bullion dealer in return for a monopoly on gold imports 51 It had information from Pakistani investigators that the Bhutto family had allegedly accrued more than 1 5 billion in illicit profits through kickbacks in virtually every sphere of government activity 51 It also reported Zardari s mid 1990s spending spree which included hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on jewellery 51 The arrangements made by the Bhutto family for their wealth relied on Western property companies Western lawyers and a network of Western friends 51 The report described how Zardari had arranged secret contracts painstaking negotiations and the dismissal of anyone who objected to his dealings 51 Citibank already under fire for its private banking practices got into further trouble as a result of the report 52 Zardari s financial history was one case study in a 1999 U S Senate report on vulnerabilities in banking procedures 53 Second imprisonment and conviction In March 1997 Zardari was elected to the Senate while in a Karachi jail 54 55 In December 1997 he was flown to Islamabad under tight security to take his oath 54 In July 1998 he was indicted for corruption in Pakistan after the Swiss government handed over documents to Pakistani authorities relating to money laundering 56 The Swiss had also indicted him for money laundering 56 At the same time in a separate case he and 18 others were indicted for conspiracy to murder Murtaza Bhutto 57 After criminal prosecutions began Citibank closed Zardari s account 52 In April 1999 Bhutto and Zardari were convicted for receiving indemnities from a Swiss goods inspection company that was hired to end corruption in the collection of customs duties 58 The couple received a fine of 8 6 million 58 59 Both were also sentenced to five years imprisonment but Bhutto could not be extradited back to Pakistan from her self imposed exile 58 59 Zardari was already in jail awaiting trial on separate charges 58 59 The evidence used against them had been gathered by Swiss investigators and the Pakistani Bureau of Accountability 58 60 In May 1999 he was hospitalised after an alleged attempted suicide 61 He claimed it was a murder attempt by the police 61 In August 2003 a Swiss judge convicted Bhutto and Zardari of money laundering and sentenced them to six months imprisonment and a fine of 50 000 62 In addition they were required to return 11 million to the Pakistani government 62 The conviction involved charges relating to kickbacks from two Swiss firms in exchange for customs fraud 63 In France Poland and Switzerland the couple faced additional allegations 64 In November 2004 he was released on bail by court order 65 66 67 A month later he was unexpectedly arrested for failing to show up for a hearing on a murder case in Islamabad 65 66 67 He was placed under house arrest in Karachi 65 67 A day later he was released on 5 000 bail 65 66 His release rearrest and then release again was regarded as a sign of growing reconciliation between Musharraf s government and the PPP 65 66 After his second release in late 2004 he left for exile in Dubai 26 68 Exile and legal problems He returned to Lahore in April 2005 68 69 70 Police prevented him from holding rallies by escorting him from the airport to his home 68 69 70 He criticised Musharraf s government but rumours of reconciliation between Musharraf and the PPP grew 69 70 Zardari went back to Dubai in May 2005 71 72 In June 2005 he had a heart attack and was treated in the United Arab Emirates 71 72 A PPP spokesman stated he underwent angioplasty in the United States 72 In September 2005 he did not show up for a Rawalpindi hearing on corruption charges the court issued an arrest warrant 72 His lawyers stated he could not come because he was recovering from his treatment 72 Following a request by the Rawalpindi court Interpol issued a red notice in January 2006 against the couple which called on member nations to decide on the couple s extradition 73 74 When Bhutto announced in September 2007 her upcoming return to Pakistan her husband was in New York City undergoing medical treatment 75 After the October 2007 bombing in Karachi that tainted Bhutto s return he accused Pakistani intelligence services of being behind the attacks and claimed it was not done by militants 76 77 He had not accompanied Bhutto staying in Dubai with their daughters Bhutto called for the removal of the chief investigator of the attacks because she claimed he had been involved in Zardari s alleged torture in prison in 1999 78 In November 2007 Musharraf instituted emergency rule for six weeks see Pakistani state of emergency 2007 79 under the pretext of rising Islamist militancy a few days after Bhutto s departure for Dubai to meet with Zardari 80 81 Immediately after the state of emergency was invoked Bhutto returned to Pakistan while Zardari again stayed behind in Dubai 80 82 Emergency rule was initiated right before the Supreme Court of Pakistan began deliberations on the legality of Musharraf s U S backed proposal the National Reconciliation Ordinance NRO to drop corruption charges against Bhutto and Zardari in return for a joint Bhutto Musharraf coalition to govern Pakistan 80 81 Bhutto and Zardari sympathised with Musharraf on his feud with the Supreme Court but simultaneously criticised the imposition of martial law 80 81 82 Before the Supreme Court could issue a decision Musharraf replaced its members with his supporters 80 81 In the midst of his exile Zardari had several different legal problems In Pakistan Musharraf granted him amnesty for his alleged offences through the National Reconciliation Ordinance drafted in October 2007 63 However the ordinance faced mounting public pressure and an uncompromising judiciary 63 In addition it only dealt with charges up to 1999 63 This left open the possibility of investigations into his alleged involvement in about 2 million in illegal kickbacks to Saddam Hussein discovered in October 2005 under the oil for food program 63 If the ordinance was rescinded he would have had to deal with charges relating to evading duties on an armoured BMW commissions from a Polish tractor manufacturer and a kickback from a gold bullion dealer 63 In Switzerland Bhutto and Zardari appealed the 2003 Swiss conviction which required the reopening of the case in October 2007 63 In November 2007 Swiss authorities returned the frozen 60 million to him through offshore companies because of the National Reconciliation Ordinance 83 In Spain a criminal investigation was opened over the money laundering for the oil for food program because of the illicit profits handled through Spanish firms 63 In Britain he was fighting a civil case against the Pakistani government for the proceeds from the liquidation sale of a Surrey mansion 63 He successfully used his medical diagnosis to postpone a verdict on his British manor trial 84 85 86 In exile he shifted between homes in New York London and Dubai where his three children lived 26 On the night of 27 December 2007 he returned to Pakistan following his wife s assassination 87 Co chairperson of the PPPBhutto s assassination and succession Main article Assassination of Benazir Bhutto Zardari prevented Bhutto s autopsy in accordance with Islamic principles 88 89 He and their children attended her funeral which was held the next day 90 He denied government allegations that the assassination was sponsored by Al Qaida 88 91 He called for an international inquiry into her death and stated that she would still be alive if Musharraf s government had provided adequate protection 89 92 93 He and his family offered to accept Musharraf s demand to exhume Bhutto s body in exchange for a United Nations inquiry but Musharraf rejected the proposal 94 In Bhutto s political will she had designated Zardari her successor as party leader 88 91 95 However their nineteen year old son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari became Chairman of the PPP because Zardari favoured Bilawal to represent Bhutto s legacy in part to avoid division within the party due to his own unpopularity 88 91 96 He did however serve as co chairman of the PPP for at least three years until Bilawal completed his studies overseas 88 95 96 February parliamentary elections and coalition formation Main article 2008 Pakistani general election Zardari called for no delays to the 8 January parliamentary elections and for the participation of all opposition parties 88 Other major political parties quickly agreed to participate ending any chance of a boycott 88 89 Because of the turmoil after the Bhutto assassination the elections were postponed six weeks to 18 February 89 97 In January 2008 he suggested that if his party did win a majority it might form a coalition with Musharraf s Pakistan Muslim League Q PML Q 97 98 He and Nawaz Sharif leader of the Pakistan Muslim League N party PML N threatened national protests if any vote rigging was attempted 98 99 He himself could not run for Parliament because he had not filed election papers in November 2008 back when he had no foreseeable political ambition while Bhutto was alive 100 The PPP and the PML N won the largest and second largest number of seats respectively in the February elections 100 101 He and Sharif agreed to form a coalition government ending American hopes of a power sharing deal between him and Musharraf 100 101 They agreed to restore the judiciary but Zardari took a less stringent stance than Sharif 101 102 He met with U S ambassador Anne W Patterson who pushed for a pact with Musharraf 101 To strengthen the new coalition he reached out to Awami National Party the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and Baloch nationalist leaders who had all boycotted the elections 103 104 After weeks of speculation and party infighting he said he did not want to become prime minister 104 105 106 In mid March 2008 he chose Yousaf Raza Gillani for prime minister in a snub to the more politically powerful Makhdoom Amin Fahim 106 Coalition government See also Movement to impeach Pervez Musharraf He and Sharif agreed in a 9 March 2008 agreement known as the Murree Declaration to the reinstatement by 30 April 2008 of 60 judges previously sacked by Musharraf 107 108 The deadline was later extended to 12 May 107 He and Sharif held unsuccessful talks at London in May 107 109 After the coalition failed to restore the judiciary the PML N withdrew from the government in mid May pulling its ministers out of the cabinet 107 108 109 110 111 The coalition regrouped again with the PML N and proposed a constitutional amendment that would remove the power of the President to dismiss Parliament 108 110 111 By late May the coalition was set in a confrontation with Musharraf 110 111 At the same time the government was successful in getting Pakistan readmitted to the Commonwealth 112 He and Sharif met in Lahore in June 2008 to discuss Musharraf s removal and the constitutional amendments which the PML N viewed as not going far enough to fulfill the Murree declaration 108 113 He opposed impeachment calls because he claimed the coalition did not have the two thirds majority in both legislative bodies National Assembly and Senate 108 113 He was unwilling to restore the judiciary as divisions in the coalition grew and popular sentiment shifted towards Sharif 114 115 The coalition criticised the government for barring Sharif from competing in the June by elections 114 115 116 Because of the impasses over Musharraf and the judiciary the coalition could not address rising food shortages and spiraling inflation which was the highest in 30 years 108 In August 2008 Zardari relented and the coalition agreed to proceed full speed towards Musharraf s impeachment by drafting a charge sheet against him 117 118 The coalition charged him with high treason for the 1999 coup and the imposition of martial law 117 He warned Musharraf against dismissing Parliament and the coalition selected Gillani instead of Musharraf to represent Pakistan at the 2008 Beijing Olympics 118 119 On 18 August Musharraf resigned in order to avoid impeachment 120 121 122 123 Although Zardari favoured granting Musharraf immunity from prosecution the coalition could not agree on a decision 120 121 123 The coalition also could not reach a united stance on the future of the judiciary 120 121 122 123 Rise to presidency Main article 2008 Pakistani presidential election Presidential elections were held within three weeks after the departure of Musharraf 124 Zardari vowed to pursue an unpopular campaign against tribal militancy in Pakistan and had the support of the United States 124 125 126 He claimed he had a London business school degree to satisfy a prerequisite for the presidency but his party did not produce a certificate 127 He was endorsed by the PPP and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement MQM for the presidency 128 The PML N nominated former justice Saeed uz Zaman Siddiqui while the PML Q put forth Mushahid Hussain Sayed 129 130 Zardari won a majority in the Electoral College with 481 of 702 votes election 1 124 130 131 132 He was elected president on 6 September 2008 election 2 133 134 President of PakistanInitial days nbsp Zardari with Emomali Rahmon Dmitry Medvedev and Hamid KarzaiAt the inauguration on 9 September 2008 Afghan President Hamid Karzai was a guest of honour which was a signal for much closer cooperation between the two nations in addressing the tribal insurgency along the Afghanistan Pakistan border 135 136 After the election Zardari promised to approve the constitutional provision that removed the President s power to dismiss Parliament but public scepticism remained on whether he would actually carry out his promise 124 His economic competence was questioned after allegations that he had raised grain procurement prices through inflationary subsidies and scrapped the capital gains tax 137 His first parliamentary speech was overshadowed by 20 September Islamabad Marriott Hotel bombing 138 139 140 A few days later he went to the United Nations Headquarters in New York City on his first overseas trip as president 141 nbsp Zardari and Bush meeting in 2008 United Nations visit See also Pakistan and the United Nations From 23 to 26 September 2008 he met with various foreign leaders including U S President George W Bush and Chinese President Hu Jintao 142 143 144 He suffered political embarrassment by flirting with U S vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and making tongue in cheek comments about her 145 146 147 148 Although at the United Nations General Assembly he publicly condemned U S drone attacks in Pakistan 149 The Washington Post reported that he had signed a secret deal when he met with senior American officials that arranged for the coordination of Predator strikes and a jointly approved list of prominent targets 150 151 He and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh agreed to resume peace talks by the end of 2008 152 Economic crises See also Periods of stagflation in Pakistan From 14 to 17 October 2008 he was in China 153 154 to negotiate foreign aid as Pakistan faced the possibility of defaulting on its payments 155 China refused to offer any aid commitments but instead promised to provide assistance in the development of two nuclear power plants and more future business investments 153 155 After Saudi Arabia Britain China the United States and the United Arab Emirates refused to provide any bailout 156 he officially asked the International Monetary Fund IMF for assistance in solving Pakistan s balance of payments problem on 22 October 157 He went to Saudi Arabia from 4 to 6 November in hopes of obtaining financial aid and securing trade agreements 158 159 However leaked cables revealed increasingly strained relations between Zardari and Saudi royalty primarily because of Saudi distrust of Zardari and preference for Sharif 160 161 162 Weaker cooperation led to decreased oil subsidies as part of a broader Saudi policy of withholding monetary assistance 160 162 In mid November 2008 Zardari s government officially sent a letter of intent to the IMF regarding a bailout to help increase its foreign exchange reserves 163 In a 11 3 billion multi year loan package Pakistan received a 7 4 billion loan for 2008 10 164 165 The IMF stipulated stringent reform conditions which included rebuilding the tax structure and privatising state enterprises 165 The World Bank and Asian Development Bank withheld a combined 3 billion aid in the 2010 11 fiscal year and the IMF withheld since May 2010 the last segment of its aid package 165 In January 2011 the MQM withdrew from the government 166 167 Zardari s ruling coalition averted a government collapse by accepting the opposition s economic proposals which restored gas subsidies and abandoned many of the IMF s suggested reforms election 3 166 In an effort to curb government expenditures Zardari swore in an austerity cabinet in February 2011 which reduced the cabinet from 60 ministers to 22 168 Foreign policy Relationship with India See also Indo Pakistani relations In early October 2008 he received fierce domestic criticism for repeatedly calling Kashmiri nationalists see Kashmir conflict in India terrorists 169 170 In mid November 2008 he suggested Pakistan was ready for a no first use nuclear policy and called for closer economic ties 163 171 The relationship between the two nations was damaged by the November 2008 Mumbai attacks He initially denied any links between the perpetrators and Pakistan 172 but the government soon pursued military action against Lashkar e Taiba leaders in a 7 December raid 173 174 India cleared Zardari s government of any direct involvement in the attacks but simultaneously demanded the extradition of 20 Pakistanis which it alleged had taken part in them 175 Zardari offered to send Inter Services Intelligence Director General Ahmed Shuja Pasha to assist in the investigation 175 In June 2009 Zardari met Singh for the first time since the Mumbai attacks at a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Yekaterinburg Russia 176 On 8 April 2012 President Zardari along with his son Bilawal Zardari Bhutto visited Dargah Sharif in Ajmer India on a private visit He also met with the Indian prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh 177 178 War in Afghanistan See also Afghanistan Pakistan relations nbsp Vice President Elect Joe Biden meets Zardari in January 2009The government has had a longstanding conflict in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas FATA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa KP Pakistani regions bordering Afghanistan Diplomatic relations with Afghan President Hamid Karzai improved after Musharraf s departure and Zardari s rise to power 179 The Obama administration s AfPak policy through AfPak envoy Richard Holbrooke reflected the unified approach the United States took in dealing with Afghanistan and Pakistan 180 In his first visit to Afghanistan as president in early January 2009 Zardari promised a renewed relationship to improve cooperation 181 182 In late March Obama announced a civilian aid package of 7 5 billion over five years in return for cooperation in the AfPak conflict 183 184 185 In late April British prime minister Gordon Brown visited Zardari and promised 1 billion over the next four years 186 In May Obama held a trilateral summit in Washington D C with Karzai and Zardari where they discussed further cooperation 187 At Brussels in mid June Zardari unsuccessfully sought trade concessions from the European Union it instead pledged 90 million development aid to curtail tribal influence by insurgents 188 189 190 After the U S Congress passed Obama s civilian aid package in October 191 192 army generals in the Pakistani military establishment widened the growing rift with Zardari s government and openly criticised U S interference 193 194 nbsp Hamid Karzai Joe Biden Barack Obama and Zardari after the Afghanistan U S Pakistan trilateral meeting in May 2009In February 2009 FATA s provincial government officially declared Islamic law in Swat to achieve a ceasefire with the northwestern Pashtun tribes 195 Because the United States and Britain opposed the measure 196 197 Zardari did not sign the Swat ceasefire until mid April when domestic pressure from Parliament mounted 195 By the end of April the agreement collapsed as the Pakistani military pursued an unpopular offensive in the neighbouring Dir district 198 199 In September 2010 Zardari and Karzai met in Islamabad and both advocated fighting insurgents rather than trying to end the war with diplomacy 200 Zardari went to the United States in January 2011 to attend Special Envoy Holbrooke s funeral 201 Following Osama bin Laden s death in a compound in Abbottabad in May 2011 Obama called Zardari and collaborated on the events 202 Reinstatement of the judiciary nbsp Zardari and Hillary ClintonIn February 2009 Zardari and the Musharraf appointed Supreme Court attempted to disqualify Nawaz Sharif from running in any elections 203 and tried to force his brother Shahbaz Sharif to resign as Chief Minister of Punjab province 204 205 206 Zardari dismissed the Punjab provincial government 207 and only partially reinstated the judiciary by restoring 56 other judges deposed by Musharraf but not their former leader Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry 208 209 After Nawaz Sharif defied house arrest and rallied with thousands of his supporters 210 the Sharif brothers vowed to join forces with the Lawyers Movement in the Long March 211 212 Zardari s government gave in to popular pressure 211 and Prime Minister Gilani in an early morning speech on 16 March 2009 promised to reinstate Chaudhry by 21 March 213 214 Ten judges were reinstated on 16 March and Chaudry assumed his position on 22 March 215 216 Zardari s month long direct control of the Punjab ended on 30 March 183 216 217 Nizam e Adl Regulation Further information Nizam e Adl Regulation 2009 In April 2009 President Asif Ali Zardari signed the Nizam e Adl Regulation into law The regulation formally established Sharia law in the Malakand division 218 Reduction of presidential powers See also Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan In late November 2009 Zardari ceded to Prime Minister Gillani the chairmanship of the National Command Authority Pakistan s nuclear arsenal oversight agency 219 220 In December 2009 the Supreme Court ruled that the National Reconciliation Ordinance amnesty was unconstitutional which cleared the way for the revival of corruption cases against Zardari 221 Although Zardari had immunity from prosecution because he was president 83 the end of NRO and his earlier corruption cases challenged the legality of his presidency 222 Calls for his resignation escalated 223 224 Zardari who rarely left the Aiwan e Sadr presidential palace 225 responded with a nationwide spurt of speeches in January 2011 226 In January 2010 the Supreme Court ordered Pakistan s government to reopen Zardari s corruption charges in Switzerland 227 228 However Zardari prevented the MQM leaning Attorney General Anwar Mansoor from filing charges 229 so Mansoor resigned in protest in early April 230 That same month Zardari won a key victory against the judiciary over his corruption trials when Geneva Attorney General Daniel Zappelli stated that Zardari can not be prosecuted under international laws because of his presidential immunity 231 232 Zardari was supported by Prime Minister Gilani who defied the Supreme Court order 233 In February 2010 Zardari sparked a standoff by attempting to appoint a Supreme Court candidate without the court s approval 234 but the confrontation ended after he backed down and nominated a candidate acceptable by the court 235 In April 2010 after months of political pressure the government passed the 18th Amendment which reduced the President to a ceremonial figurehead by stripping the office of the power to dissolve Parliament to dismiss the Prime Minister and to appoint military chiefs 236 237 238 The amendment also lifted the restriction of two terms as prime minister which enabled Zardari s foremost political rival Nawaz Sharif to seek a third term 236 237 239 The amendment was passed with virtually unanimous support in Parliament 238 and Zardari himself espoused the legislation because of political pressure 237 239 After the 18th Amendment Zardari s main power derived from his position as leader of the PPP which controls the largest bloc in Parliament 236 237 In late September 2010 the Supreme Court considered removing presidential immunity 240 In October Chief Justice Chaudry met with his colleagues to discuss troubling media rumours that Zardari s government was planning to fire them Chaudry requested government assurance that the stories were unfounded 241 In early January 2011 Zardari signed the 19th Amendment which lessened the likelihood of future clashes between the President and the judiciary by strengthening the power of the Chief Justice in deciding judicial appointments 242 243 In March 2011 Zardari delivered his annual parliamentary address to a half empty chamber because of an opposition walkout 244 In November 2012 the Pakistan government in response to the court orders finally wrote to the Swiss authorities seeking to reopen the corruption cases against Zardari 245 The Swiss government responded by saying that the corruption cases being time barred cannot be reopened 246 2010 Pakistan floods and Europe tour The 2010 Pakistan floods began in late July with rain in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and soon submerged a fifth of Pakistan and affected 20 million people resulting in one of the nation s largest natural catastrophes Simultaneously British prime minister David Cameron sparked a serious diplomatic row with Pakistan during his visit to India 247 by stating that elements within Pakistan were promoting the export of terror a week before a planned visit by Zardari to Britain 248 249 250 Zardari ignored domestic pressure 251 252 and began his European trip in Paris on 1 August meeting French President Sarkozy 249 253 254 In France he drew a rebuke from the U S after stating that NATO had lost the battle for hearts and minds in the Afghan war 255 256 257 As the flood s devastation became increasingly evident he was widely criticised for flying in a helicopter to his Normandy chateau 258 259 260 and dining at Cameron s Chequers countryside home 261 262 263 Protests within Britain mainly among the British Pakistani community grew against his visit 264 265 The widely expected maiden speech by his son Bilawal was cancelled 266 as Zardari faced criticism for using the trip to advance Bilawal s political aspirations 267 Zardari returned to Pakistan on 10 August 268 He first visit to an area affected by the flooding was in Sukkur on 12 August 268 He cancelled the 14 August Independence Day celebrations and instead visited Naushera 269 He flew over devastated areas with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki moon on 15 August 270 He left the country on 18 August and attended the four way Russian summit at Sochi which included Tajikistan and Afghanistan 271 On 19 August he visited Jampur with U S Senator John Kerry 272 273 He ordered local authorities to concentrate efforts to save Shahdadkot from inundation on 24 August 274 2011 Dubai hospitalisation In early December 2011 Zardari flew to Dubai undergoing medical tests and treatment reportedly for a small stroke 275 According to the prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani Zardari sought medical treatment outside of Pakistan because of threats to his life 276 He finds himself currently in the midst of the Memogate controversy 276 Zardari left the hospital on 14 December to recuperate at the Persian Gulf while his son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari the chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party assumed a more prominent role in Pakistan 277 By 19 December Zardari had returned to Pakistan 278 China Pakistan Economic Corridor Pakistan and China on 22 May 2013 inked several Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding MoUs that mainly included the long term Economic Corridor plan maritime cooperation and satellite navigation President Asif Ali Zardari and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang witnessed the signing ceremony as the representatives of the two countries inked the documents at a ceremony held at the Aiwan e Sadr The visit of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang marked the signing of important documents aimed at long term cooperation between the two countries in multiple areas 279 Completion of presidential tenureZardari completed his five year term on 8 September 2013 280 281 becoming the first democratically elected president in the 66 year long history of Pakistan to complete his tenure He received a guard of honour while leaving the Aiwan e Sadr 282 He was succeeded by Mamnoon Hussain as president 283 Post presidencyHe became active in the PPP which he voted to revamp after his presidency 284 He succeeded Ameen Faheem as chairman of PPPP in 2015 285 In December 2016 he announced that both he and his son Bilawal would contest the 2018 general election 286 In July 2017 during the investigation of Panama Papers case Zardari demanded Nawaz Sharif s resignation 287 In August 2017 Pakistan s anti corruption acquitted him from his last pending case in which he was accused along with his late wife Benazir Bhutto of laundering illegal kickbacks and maintaining assets beyond known sources of income The case had dogged him for 19 years 288 289 His rival Imran Khan believed that Zardari s acquittal was the result of a deal between PML N and PPP However he denied any kind of collaboration 290 The National Accountability Bureau also challenged the acquittal 291 On 2 September after his wife s murder case verdict which declared Pervez Musharraf as fugitive and convicted two senior police officer he said that he was not satisfied with the verdict and that he will appeal the judgment as it had acquitted five Pakistani Taliban suspects 292 In 2019 he was arrested in Islamabad over a money laundering case 293 An anti graft court issued an indictment of Zardari on corruption charges on 10 August 2020 294 295 Personal lifeFamily Zardari and Benazir Bhutto had one son and two daughters His son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is the current Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party His older daughter Bakhtawar was born on 25 January 1990 296 and his younger daughter Aseefa was born on 3 February 1993 297 After Benazir Bhutto s death his sister Faryal Talpur became the guardian of his children 20 and he changed Bilawal Zardari s name to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari 298 299 His mother died in November 2002 during his detention in jail 300 His father Hakim Ali Zardari died in May 2011 301 After that he became the chieftain of the Zardari tribe However initially he had decided not to assume leadership and wanted to pass the position to his son Bilawal 302 301 Spirituality Zardari is known to seek the advice of soothsayers and healers especially during times of political troubles He has visited Prof Ahmad Rafique Akhtar a well known Sufi scholar based in Gujar Khan who often counsels government officials and military leaders During his presidency he would consult with his then spiritual leader Pir Mohammad Ejaz about such matters as travel times and animals were sacrificed during particularly trying periods 303 304 Health His mental health has been a subject of controversy 84 85 He has repeatedly claimed he was tortured while in prison 305 He was diagnosed with dementia major depressive disorder and post traumatic stress disorder from 2005 to 2007 which helped influence the verdict of one of his corruption trials 84 85 86 He now claims he is completely healthy with only high blood pressure and diabetes 84 85 Wealth In 2005 Daily Pakistan reported he was the second richest man in Pakistan with an estimated net worth of 1 8 billion 306 He amassed great wealth while his wife was prime minister 39 In 2007 he received 60 million in his Swiss bank account through offshore companies under his name 83 He was reported to have estates in Surrey West End of London Manhattan a condominium in Belaire Apartments and Dubai 27 39 as well as a 16th century chateau in Normandy 259 In Britain he used a common legal device the purchase of property through nominees with no family link to the Bhuttos 39 His homes in Karachi Lahore and Islamabad are called Bilawal House I 307 Bilawal House II 308 and Zardari House 309 respectively Surrey estate He bought a 365 acre 148 hectare 20 bedroom luxury estate in Rockwood Surrey in 1995 through a chain of firms trusts and offshore companies in 1994 20 58 63 310 311 The country home s refurbishment abruptly ended in October 1996 shortly before the end of his wife s second term 311 He initially denied for eight years that he owned the property and no one paid the bills for the work on the unoccupied mansion 63 310 Creditors forced a liquidation sale in 2004 and the Pakistani government claimed the proceeds because the home had been bought with money obtained through corruption 63 However he stepped in to claim that he actually was the beneficial owner 27 As of November 2008 update the proceeds were in a liquidator bank account while a civil case continues 63 The estate includes two farms lodgings staff accommodation and a basement made into an imitation of a local pub 20 310 The manor has nine bedrooms and an indoor swimming pool 311 He had sent large shipments from Karachi in the 1990s for the refurbishment of Surrey Palace 63 He has faced allegations from various people including the daughter of Laila Shahzada 312 that he acquired stolen art to decorate the palace 311 He earlier had plans for a helipad a nine hole golf course and a polo pony paddock 63 See also nbsp Pakistan portal nbsp Biography portal nbsp Politics portalSingapore Airlines Flight 117 the hijackers demanded Zardari s releaseNotes The Electoral College is composed of the Senate the National Assembly and the four provincial assemblies The parliamentary lower house National Assembly has 342 seats The upper house Senate has 100 seats The four provincial assemblies are Sindh Punjab Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan respectively The assemblies have total of 1170 seats but the number of Electoral College votes is 702 since provincial assembly votes are counted on a proportional basis A person needs to win 352 votes to obtain a majority The President serves for five years In Pakistan a government falls not by losing a majority but after a no confidence vote References Zardari elected PPPP president Dunya News 27 December 2015 Retrieved 27 December 2015 Asif Ali Zardari Fast Facts CNN Retrieved 18 August 2017 Meet Mr 10 Percent Chicago Tribune 13 September 2008 Retrieved 25 March 2023 Wonacott Peter 5 September 2008 Zardari Set to Assume Pakistan s Presidency The Wall Street Journal Mr 10 becomes Mr President France 24 4 September 2008 Retrieved 5 February 2024 a b Profile Pakistan leaders BBC News 7 May 2009 Retrieved 6 June 2009 a b c d e Bhutto s husband leaves prison The New York Times 7 February 1993 Retrieved 3 March 2011 a b Death anniversary 16 years since Murtaza Bhutto was killed The Express Tribune The Express Tribune 20 September 2012 Retrieved 29 May 2018 Bhuttos Cursed political dynasty 28 December 2007 Retrieved 29 May 2018 Pakistan ex premier s spouse indicted for murder The New York Times 6 July 1997 Burns John F 5 November 1996 Pakistan s Premier Bhutto is put under house arrest The New York Times Tanoli Ishaq 10 April 2008 SHC acquits Zardari in Murtaza murder case Dawn Pakistan Retrieved 29 May 2018 Zardari has abysmally low approval rating The Times of India 28 June 2012 Retrieved 11 August 2015 Nayani Aziz 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President grieved Hakim Ali Zardari passes away The Express Tribune 25 May 2011 Pakistan Journal of History and Culture National Institute of Historical and Cultural Research 1996 p 82 The second son Hakim Ali Zardari left his place of birth Phatohal Zardari and settled in the village Mir Khan Zardari village where he started cultivating ancestral lands He married Bilqees Khanum daughter of Hasan Ali Memon and grand daughter of the famous scholar Hasan Ali Effendi Selections from Regional Press Institute of Regional Studies 2008 p 48 On his maternal side he is the great grandson of Khan Bahadur Hassan Ali Effendi the founder of first educational institution for the Muslims of Sindh The founder of Pakistan Quaid e Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah was among the prominent students to graduate from the Sindh Madrassa Current Biography Yearbook H W Wilson 2009 p 623 On his maternal side Zardari is the great grandson of Khan Bahadur Hassan Ali Effendi Afandi in some sources the founder of Sindh 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November 2009 Retrieved 3 June 2011 Haider Zeeshan 16 December 2009 Pakistani court throws out amnesty for Zardari allies Reuters Retrieved 29 May 2011 Pakistan court hears challenge to corruption amnesty BBC News 7 December 2009 Retrieved 29 May 2011 Pakistan party demands Zardari resignation BBC News 17 December 2009 Retrieved 3 June 2011 Opposition calls on Zardari to quit Al Jazeera Qatar Media Corporation 18 December 2009 Retrieved 3 June 2011 Bennett Jones Owen 6 August 2010 Zardari s heavy political baggage BBC News Retrieved 9 June 2011 Tavernise Sabrina 20 January 2010 Memo from Islamabad Zardari stages comeback but effect on Pakistan is unclear The New York Times Retrieved 3 June 2011 Masood Azhar 20 January 2010 Court tells government to prosecute Zardari Arab News Jeddah Saudi Research amp Publishing Company Saudi Research amp Marketing Group Retrieved 6 June 2011 permanent dead link Reopening of Zardari case ordered Al Jazeera Qatar Media Corporation 31 March 2010 Retrieved 6 June 2011 Pakistan attorney general resigns The Belfast Telegraph Independent News amp Media 3 April 2010 Retrieved 6 June 2011 Maqbool Aleem 3 April 2010 Pakistan s Attorney General resigns BBC News Retrieved 6 June 2011 Crilly Rob 12 April 2010 Asif Zardari wins fight against corruption case in Switzerland The Daily Telegraph London Archived from the original on 12 January 2022 Retrieved 6 June 2011 Khan Zarar Swiss say legal immunity protects Pakistani leader Bloomberg Businessweek Bloomberg L P Archived from the original on 2 November 2012 Retrieved 6 June 2011 Haider Kamran 27 September 2010 Q A Is Pakistan s government hanging in the balance Reuters Retrieved 13 June 2011 Brulliard Karin Hussain Shaiq 16 February 2010 Pakistan s lawyers strike over judicial appointments made by President Zardari The Washington Post Retrieved 7 June 2011 Tavernise Sabrina 18 February 2010 Pakistani backs down in conflict with judge The New York Times Retrieved 7 June 2011 a b c 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Assent given to 19th Amendment Move to ignite clash between institutions foiled Zardari Dawn Retrieved 13 June 2011 Gall Carlotta Masood Salman 22 March 2011 Pakistan s President vows again to fight extremism The New York Times Retrieved 15 June 2011 Zardari graft case Swiss authorities yet to respond to Pak government s letter Jagran Post Retrieved 29 May 2018 Switzerland refuses to reopen graft cases against President Zardari The News International Miliband condemns Pakistan comments The Belfast Telegraph Independent News amp Media 31 July 2010 Retrieved 9 June 2011 Dodd Vikram 28 July 2010 Cameron sparks diplomatic row with Pakistan after export of terror remarks The Guardian UK Retrieved 8 June 2011 a b Jamieson Alastair 1 August 2010 Pakistan PM hits back at David Cameron terror claim The Daily Telegraph London Archived from the original on 12 January 2022 Retrieved 9 June 2011 Pakistan plays down David Cameron s terror comments BBC News 31 July 2010 Archived from the original on 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during disaster Los Angeles Times Retrieved 9 June 2011 a b Shah Saeed 8 August 2010 Pakistan floods Army steps into breach as anger grows at Zardari The Guardian UK Retrieved 9 June 2011 Blighted Pakistan Swamped bruised and resentful The Economist Economist Group 5 August 2010 Retrieved 9 June 2011 Witte Griff 6 August 2010 Zardari s trip to Europe fuels resentment as Pakistan reels from deadly floods The Washington Post Retrieved 9 June 2011 Cameron hails UK s unbreakable bond with Pakistan BBC News 6 August 2010 Archived from the original on 20 May 2011 Retrieved 10 June 2011 Burns John F 6 August 2010 Leaders of Britain and Pakistan smooth over frictions The New York Times Archived from the original on 11 June 2011 Retrieved 10 June 2011 Protests greet Pakistan President The Belfast Telegraph 7 August 2010 Retrieved 11 June 2011 Pakistan President Zardari arrives in London sparring with Cameron continues The Christian Science Monitor 4 August 2010 Retrieved 9 June 2011 MacDonald Myra 5 August 2010 Pakistan s Bhutto cancels plans to attend UK rally Reuters UK Retrieved 11 June 2011 Freeman Colin 7 August 2010 Pakistan s President Zardari is pelted with shoes at Birmingham rally The Daily Telegraph London Archived from the original on 12 January 2022 Retrieved 11 June 2011 a b Tran Mark 12 August 2010 Pakistan President visits flooded regions as official response criticised The Guardian UK Retrieved 11 June 2011 Cholera in Pakistan as Prime Minister says 20 million affected by floods The Daily Telegraph London 14 August 2010 Archived from the original on 12 January 2022 Retrieved 12 June 2011 U N chief urges donations to Pakistan The New York Times Associated Press 15 August 2010 Retrieved 11 June 2011 Dyomkin Denis 18 August 2010 Karzai says Afghanistan needs Russia s support Reuters Canada Retrieved 12 June 2011 Zardari Terrorists could exploit Pakistan flood CBS News 20 August 2010 Retrieved 12 June 2011 Gall Carlotta 5 September 2010 Floods in Pakistan carry the seeds of upheaval The New York Times Retrieved 12 June 2011 Gall Carlotta 23 August 2010 Floods in Pakistan pour south The New York Times Retrieved 12 June 2011 Jason Burke 13 December 2011 Zardari treated for stroke as son Bilawal is groomed for power in Pakistan The Guardian UK Retrieved 14 December 2011 a b Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari went to Dubai because of threats to his life The Daily Telegraph UK 14 December 2011 Archived from the original on 12 January 2022 Retrieved 14 December 2011 Simon Denyer 14 December 2011 Pakistan s Zardari leaves Dubai hospital The Washington Post Retrieved 14 December 2011 Asif Ali Zardari returns to Pakistan The Guardian UK London Reuters 19 December 2011 Retrieved 2 January 2012 Salam Nihao Pakistan China sign agreements MoUs on Economic Corridor Plan maritime cooperation www nihao salam com Archived from the original on 11 March 2023 Retrieved 18 May 2017 Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari set to step down at end of five year term The Independent London 8 September 2013 Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari steps down as his term ends The Washington Times With guard of honour President Zardari steps down The Express Tribune The Express Tribune 8 September 2013 Retrieved 29 May 2018 Asif Ali Zardari steps down as Pakistan s President The Economic Times 9 September 2013 Retrieved 9 September 2013 Mahmood Asif 30 July 2013 Zardari vows to revamp PPP after presidential tenure Dawn Pakistan Retrieved 29 May 2018 Zardari to become president of PPP Parliamentarians Dawn Pakistan 28 December 2015 Retrieved 29 May 2018 Ex president Asif Zardari and son Bilawal to contest parliamentary elections Hindustan Times 27 December 2016 Quit and face graft charges like a lion Ex Pak PM Zardari to Nawaz Sharif The Economic Times Retrieved 2 August 2017 Pakistan court quashes corruption case against Asif Ali Zardari The Financial Express 27 August 2017 Retrieved 29 May 2018 Pakistan Court Acquits Asif Ali Zardari in Nearly 2 Decade Old Corruption Case NDTV com Retrieved 29 May 2018 Zardari dismisses talk of deal in his acquittal The Express Tribune The Express Tribune 29 August 2017 Retrieved 29 May 2018 Tremendous evidence available NAB files appeal against Zardari s acquittal in assets case Dawn Will appeal against Benazir Bhutto murder case verdict says Asif Ali Zardari India TV Asif Ali Zardari Former Pakistan President Zardari arrested BBC News 10 June 2019 Retrieved 15 May 2020 Haider Kamran 10 August 2020 Pakistan Court Indicts Ex President Zardari in Graft Case Bloomberg Retrieved 27 August 2020 NAB Court Indicts Asif Ali Zardari And Faryal Talpur In Corruption References BOL News Retrieved 26 September 2020 Good luck charm Times News Hendersonville North Carolina 1 February 1990 Retrieved 15 July 2011 Ex Prime Minister s husband out on bail Kingman Daily Miner Kingman Arizona 7 February 1993 Retrieved 24 July 2011 Profile Bilawal Bhutto Zardari BBC News 30 December 2007 Archived from the original on 15 July 2011 Retrieved 17 July 2011 Koster Suzanna 17 May 2007 No grand return for Pakistan s Bhutto The Christian Science Monitor Retrieved 18 July 2011 Death of Asif s mother condoled Dawn Pakistan 13 November 2002 Retrieved 29 May 2018 a b Ali Mohsin 29 May 2011 Bilawal to head Zardari tribe Gulf Daily News Manama Bahrain Retrieved 24 July 2011 Dastar bandi Zardari takes over as chief of his own tribe The Express Tribune The Express Tribune 30 December 2014 Retrieved 29 May 2018 Asif Zardari visits spiritual scholar Prof Ahmad Akhter Rafique The Nation 15 January 2019 Retrieved 9 July 2023 Raja Farrah Karamat 2000 Prof Ahmad Rafique Akhtar Mystery Behind the Mystic Sang e Meel Publication ISBN 978 969 35 1160 4 Text interview with Asif Ali Zardari The Guardian 29 December 2000 Retrieved 2 August 2017 Malik Salik 26 October 2008 President Asif Ali Zardari 2nd most richest man of Pakistan Daily Pakistan Archived from the original on 13 January 2012 Retrieved 29 July 2011 Burns John F 9 January 1998 The Bhutto Millions A background check far from ordinary The New York Times Retrieved 1 March 2011 Khan Aamer Ahmed 6 April 2005 No grand return for Zardari BBC News Retrieved 30 July 2011 Pakistan s Sharif barred from election Singapore Channel NewsAsia 3 December 2007 Archived from the original on 28 June 2011 Retrieved 24 July 2011 a b c Lawson Alastair 10 December 1999 Surrey Palace saga for Benazir BBC News Retrieved 6 June 2009 a b c d Hopkins Nick 6 April 2010 Pakistan lays claim to Surrey Mansion The Guardian UK Retrieved 24 July 2011 Nelson Dean 3 August 2010 Call to question President Zardari over art theft claims The Daily Telegraph London Archived from the original on 12 January 2022 Retrieved 24 July 2011 External links nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Asif Ali Zardari nbsp Wikiquote has quotations related to Asif Ali Zardari Appearances on C SPAN Asif Ali Zardari on Charlie RoseWorks President Zardari s 2008 address to the 63rd session of the United Nations General Assembly The Terrorists Want to Destroy Pakistan Too Partnership With Pakistan Pakistan Is Steadfast Against Terror Democracy Is the Greatest Revenge Pakistan s Project of Renewal Pakistan Did Its PartParty political officesPreceded byBenazir Bhutto Co Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party2007 2015 Served alongside Bilawal Bhutto Zardari VacantPreceded byAmeen Faheem President of the Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians2015 present IncumbentPolitical officesPreceded byMuhammad Mian SoomroActing President of Pakistan2008 2013 Succeeded byMamnoon Hussain Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Asif Ali Zardari amp oldid 1207634692, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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