Pakistanis Unmoved By Zardari's Speech

Opposition parties and observers said Zardari's speech contained nothing new. (Reuters)

"We welcome his speech as he is the elected president of Pakistan," opposition leader Chaudry Nisar Ali Khan told reporters after Zardari's speech.

"But we were expecting a lot from him, especially about the annulment of black laws like 17th amendment, and the article 58-2B."

Ali Khan said that Zardari's speech lacks a future plan of his five-month old government.

"It would have been much better if he had announced a clear-cut strategy to repeal the 17th amendment and 58-2B."

In his debut address to a joint session of parliament, Zardari, the widower of slain premier Benazir Bhutto and leader of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), asked the parliament to remove distortions in the Constitution and revise the 17th amendment and article 58(2)B.

"Never before in the history of this country has a President stood here and given away his powers," Zardari said.

The controversial 17th amendment was passed in 2003, under which former military ruler Gen. Pervez Musharraf had agreed to shed his military uniform in return to gaining more powers.

Article 58-2B empowers the president to dissolve the government.

"It is the responsibility of the elected representatives to remove these distortions in the Constitution made by the successive dictators to prolong their rule," said Zardari.

"My dream is to free this great country from the shackles of poverty, hunger, terrorism and disunity."

Zardari, who was elected on September 6, with a two-thirds majority, urged the government to act to heal wounds of the past and restore the public trust.

"We believe in the independence of the judiciary and all matters concerning the judiciary shall be resolved in accordance with the constitution and law."

Zardari also spoke of the government's three-pronged strategy to tackle the challenge of extremists in Pakistan's tribal region.

He said the strategy eyes making peace with those willing to renounce violence and investing in the development and social uplift of the local people.

"I ask of the government that it should be firm in its resolve not to allow the use of its soil for carrying out terrorist activities against any foreign country."

Zardari also stressed that Pakistan will not "tolerate" violations of its territories.

"We will not tolerate the violation of our sovereignty and territorial integrity by any power in the name of combating terrorism," Zardari said, as lawmakers thumped their desks in agreement.

The US-led foreign forces in Afghanistan launched a series of air strikes in Pakistan's tribal area in recent weeks, leaving several people dead.

Eyewash

But political analysts said that there was nothing "exciting" in Zardari's speech.

"This was a real maiden speech, and nothing more," Sajjad Mir, a Karachi-based senior political analyst, told IOL.

"There is nothing new in his speech."

Mir said that unlike ordinary Pakistanis and the opposition parties, political observers were not expecting much from Zardari's speech.

"I am not disappointed by his speech because I did not expect anything more than what he said.

"It was a routine speech, and nothing else."

Mir believes that Zardari's call for abolishing his powers was a mere eyewash.

"If he had been serious, he would have announced that the government has decided to annul all these black laws, and he is directing his parliamentarians to go ahead with the legislation in this regard," he said.

"But he didn't say anything like this.

"To me, it is just a tactic to linger on the issue until the people stop thinking and talking about that. The same tactic, the PPP played in case of the restoration of judiciary.

"The PPP had promised in its election manifesto that it would annul 58-2B, but it seems as if it is going to backtrack on its promise in line with the other promises."