Pakistanis Downbeat About Next President

A recent survey by Gallup Pakistan shows that none of the presidential runners was able to get popular acclaim, with the single largest response saying they wanted a non-party president.

IslamOnline.net interviewed several Pakistanis of different backgrounds to assess their expectations from the new president.

Sadiq Hussein Jafri, an engineer 

"I don't see things to be settled down even after presidential election because Zardari is the head of a political party, which is in fact the ruling party. He will not be able to act as a neutral president.

The  president is meant to keep an eye on the performance of the government, therefore he must be a non-partisan. I don't think that Zardari can be a non-partisan.

In my opinion, the first thing he should do after getting elected as president, is to relinquish from the party leadership , otherwise he will be considered the president of a party , not the president of Pakistan."

Hassan Nazeer, an assistant manager at a private company 

"I support Justice Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddiqui as president because he has a character to show as compared to Zardari and Mushahid Hussein. He is a man of word. He had refused to take oath under martial law of General Musharraf in 2000, and sacrificed three years of his tenure as chief justice supreme court.

The second reason, I prefer him is that he belongs to middle class, and after getting elected as president, he will think about middle-class people like us. I don't expect anything like this from Zardari.

The first and foremost step which the new president should take is to quit the so-called war against terror as this is not the war against terror, but against Muslims, and to grab their natural resources. However, if the government cannot do this immediately due to some international obligations, then at least the new president should order the government to review its policy and draw a limit vis-à-vis war against terror."

 
Shahid Ali, a shop owner 

"I don't support any of the three candidates because none of them belongs to us. Whoever wins the election, will work for his party and his people. He will not bother about us.

Though, I don't expect anything favorable for us (from the new president), however still I would like to ask him please think about the masses. Don't think about the rich or elite. They have enough resources to live but people like us have two options, either to pick the gun, and loot the rich, or commit suicide.

If he (new president) can do something in this connection, we will pray for him, otherwise we have seen many presidents and prime ministers, and he will be one of like them."

Habib Ahmed, a computer operator 

"The office of the president is that of the head of the state and is supposed to be above party politics, exercising little executive power, which you cannot expect from a partisan president.

If I have an opportunity, I will prefer a non-partisan president, but as it is not possible in given conditions, therefore my vote will be for Asif Zardari.
I agree that he will not be a non-partisan president, but if we go on a positive side, his election will at least provide strength to the civilian government, run by his party. He will not at least go against his own party.

I would expect from Zardari to reinstate the deposed judges as a first step soon after his election because he will be entering the president house just because of those judges, especially the Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudry, who stood against the dictatorship at that time, when no one including Zardari could even think about that."

Tariq Ali, an NGO worker 

"I support Asif Ali Zardari as the most suitable candidate for the president post because he has sacrificed for the sake of democracy. He has spent 11 years in jail in fake cases, but he refused to surrender. Therefore, he deserves to sit on this post.

I don't agree with those who think that a president should be non-partisan. The president is a political office, and a political person, no matter which party he belongs to, can fulfil the responsibilities of this office much better than a non-political person. A non-political person can easily be exploited by the powerful establishment as it has done in past.

The first two steps I expect from Mr Zardari are to reinstate the deposed judges, especially Justice Iftikhar Chaudry because without that the country could not get rid of the incumbent uncertainty, which could be proven lethal for his government.

The second thing I expect from him is to voluntarily withdraw the infamous national reconciliation ordinance (issued by General Musharraf under which all corruption cases against Zardari, her slain spouse, and his aides were withdrawn).

If Zardari thinks he is a clean man then he should not worry about the fake cases, but if he pleads for indemnity, it suggests that he has done something wrong."

Khuda Bux, a salesman 

"I don't mind if Zardari becomes our new president because I cannot stop him from entering the president house. He has everyone including America and Army on his side.

Justice Siddiqui is a noble person with no political background, and in my opinion, this is his only disadvantage. A noble president cannot tackle our rogue establishment.

The first thing, Mr Zardari should do is to implement his slogan Roti (bread), Kapra (clothing), and Makaan (housing). The poor people of Pakistan have been waiting for last six months for that. Unfortunately, the government has miserably failed to address the public issues. Instead, it has made life miserable for the people by allowing worst-ever inflation and price hike in the country. There is no electricity, no water, and even no justice.

Now, the PPP will have no excuse. It has everything in its pocket, the president, the prime minister, and even a favorable army. We are expecting something from Zardari, and if he fails to deliver, the people of Pakistan will soon forget Musharraf's sins and remember Zardari."

Yaseen Ali, a sales representative 

"I support Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddiqui for the presidential post because he is not tainted with any corruption charges like Zardari.

The president is the symbol of federation, and he must not be a controversial person. Mr Zardari has cleaned himself through national reconciliation ordinance, and that is why he is not reinstating the Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudry. Whereas, Mr Siddiqui has a clean background. He stood against a military dictator and fought for the sanctity of the judiciary. It will be unfortunate for Pakistan, if a person like Zardari is elected as its president.

In my view, the first step, the new president takes, should be the restoration of the judiciary because injustice is the mother of all the problems we have been facing.

If there is no justice, there is no progress, and prosperity. If you go through the history, only those nations have progressed who have better judicial system."