An acknowledgement of credit due

Credit should be given where credit is due. In the case of our accidental president who so skilfully, on the back of a brutally tragic assassination, wangled his way into not only the co-chairmanship of the upcoming ruling political party of Pakistan but later into the grandiose Islamabad Aiwan-e-Sadar, it is due on account of his (hopefully not accidental) utterances to the Hindustan Times 'Summit 2008' on November 22.
There he was, on the television screens, in his high-security highly-gilded Aiwan, seated between a huge portrait of Benazir Bhutto and a not so huge portrait of the founder of the country, Mohammad Ali Jinnah. The topic he was to discuss was 'How can India and Pakistan work together?' His answers and statements, quite naturally, have come in for a good deal of criticism, even scorn, from the many nuclear and other hawks who have a voice in this country. To the few who live in the 21st century, who wish to see Pakistan move on rather than sink or cling to the debilitating status quo and the 61-year old mould of the 'traditional enemy,' who realise that the maintenance of unrealistically large armies and the possession of nuclear assets are not matters of pride, what he said is desirable in the extreme.
It has been suggested that Zardari was overwhelmed by the challenges facing him in his super-presidential role with none to challenge him other than the army chief, who has made democratic noises about the army being subservient to Parliament - mere 'noises off' in all probability. He should be given the benefit of the doubt. And also, it should be assumed that he spoke with the backing of his controller, the USA, at whose pleasure he serves in the all-powerful position he occupies.