Asif Ali Zardari

 Born on July 26, 1955, Asif Ali Zardari (Urdu: آصف علٌ زردارٌ; Sindhi: آصف علي زرداري) is a politician from Pakistan who has been Pakistan's 14th president since March 10, 2024. He was the co-chair of the Pakistan People's Party and currently serves as the president of the Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians.[5]

From 2008 until 2013, he was Pakistan's 11th president—the first to be born after the country's independence. Benazir Bhutto, the Pakistani prime minister who was twice elected, is his widow. Since August 2018, he has served as a member of the Pakistani National Assembly.

Son of Sindhi landowner Hakim Ali Zardari, Zardari gained notoriety with his 1987 marriage to Benazir Bhutto, who went on to become Pakistan's prime minister following her election in 1988. When the government of Bhutto

Despite being imprisoned, he was elected to the National Assembly in 1990 and the Senate in 1997, which allowed him to serve in Parliament in theory. After being freed from prison in 2004 and living in self-exile in Dubai, he returned when Bhutto was killed on December 27, 2007. In the 2008 national elections, he led his party to victory as the newly appointed co-chairman of the PPP. On September 6, 2008, he was elected president after leading a coalition that forced military ruler Pervez Musharraf to step down. In the same year, he was cleared of several criminal accusations.[12][8]

Despite widespread popular condemnation of the US after the Raymond Davis incident and the NATO strike in Salala in 2011, President Zardari remained a staunch friend of the US in the war in Afghanistan. In the country, Zardari was successful in getting the Eighteenth Amendment passed in 2010, which limited his presidential authority by the constitution. His attempt to stop Supreme Court judges from being reinstated was unsuccessful due to widespread demonstrations spearheaded by his political adversary Nawaz Sharif. In 2012, Yousaf Raza Gillani, the Prime Minister of the PPP, was sacked by the restored Supreme Court for contempt after he declined to write to the Swiss Government to reactivate corruption investigations against Zardari. Moreover, Zardari's administration came under fire for his handling of the 2010 national floods and the rise in terrorist attacks. After several

Zardari's approval ratings towards the conclusion of his presidency ranged from an appalling 11 to 14%.[13][14] On September 9, 2013, Zardari became the nation's first elected president to serve out his constitutional term following the PPP's crushing defeat in the 2013 general election.[15] Political analysts continue to criticise his administration for favouritism and corruption, leaving his legacy divided.[16][17] However, as a result of a coalition deal struck after the general election in Pakistan in 2024, he is set to take office once more in March 2024.[18]

educated in Karachi.[19][20] He is a member of the Zardari family and the sole child of Bilquis Sultana Zardari and Hakim Ali Zardari, a well-known landowner and tribal leader.[21][22] His mother was the granddaughter of educationist Hassan Ali Effendi, a Sindhi who is credited with founding the Sindh Madressatul Islam; his paternal grandmother was of Iraqi heritage [23].[24][25][26]

He was fond of boxing and polo in his early years.[27] He was the captain of the Zardari Four, a polo team.[28] His father gave his school movie equipment and was the owner of Karachi's well-known theatre, Bambino[29].[27] Additionally, he made a child appearance in the 1969 film Salgira.[30] Zardari's educational history is still up for debate.[27] Karachi Grammar School was the primary education provider for him. According to his official bio, he received his degree from Petaro's Cadet College in 1972.[31][27] From 1973 to 1974, he attended St. Patrick's High School in Karachi; according to a school clerk, he failed his final exam there.[27] He declared in March 2008 to have received a bachelor's degree in teaching from the London School of Business Studies in the early 1970s.[29] According to Zardari's official biography, he also went toHe was fond of boxing and polo in his early years.[27] He was the captain of the Zardari Four, a polo team.[28] His father gave his school movie equipment and was the owner of Karachi's well-known theatre, Bambino[29].[27] Additionally, he made a child appearance in the 1969 film Salgira.[30] The British Pedinton School.[27][29][32] However, there is no proof of his British schooling, and a search for Pedinton Schools in London produced no results.[27][29][32] A 2002 legislation that required candidates for Parliament to hold a college degree[29] made the question of his credential problematic. However, in April 2008, Pakistan's Supreme Court reversed the rule.[27][32]

Career Benazir Bhutto's era and early political career

Zardari's first attempt at politics did not work out. His family possessed thousands of acres of farmland in Nawabshah, Sindh, where he ran unsuccessfully for a district council seat in 1983.[27] His next venture was real estate.[27]

Benazir Bhutto and him were married on December 18, 1987.The traditional Pakistani practice of arranging marriages was once viewed as an odd union [33][34].[33][34] Karachi's extravagant sunset ritual was followed by massive nighttime celebrations attended by more than 100,000 people.In a nation where elderly single women are looked down upon, Bhutto's political standing was improved by the marriage [33][34].[33][34] By pledging to avoid politics, Zardari yielded to his wife's wishes.[34]

General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq perished in 1988 when his aircraft burst apart in midair.[35] A few months later, when her party secured 94 of the 207 seats up for grabs in the 1988 elections, Bhutto became Pakistan's first female prime minister.[36]

participation in the first Bhutto administration and the initial incarceration

See also: Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari facing corruption allegations

The infant Bilawal, Zardari, and Benazir Bhutto on a state visit to Andrews Air Force Base in 1989

He largely avoided involvement in his wife's first administration, although he and his allies were drawn into cases of government corruption.[6] He was mostly held accountable for the Bhutto administration's downfall.[7]

Security forces led by the Pakistan Army forbade Benazir Bhutto and Zardari from leaving the nation following the overthrow of Bhutto's government in August 1990[37].[38] Caretaker prime minister Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi, a Bhutto adversary, started inquiries into corruption by the Bhutto administration during the interim government that lasted from August to October.[39] Jatoi charged Zardari of charging a ten percent commission for securing approval to establish any business or to secure loans, allegedly taking advantage of his wife's political connections.[39] "Mr. Ten Percent" was the nickname that was attached to him.[27]

On October 10, 1990, he was taken into custody on allegations of kidnapping and extortion.[37]According to the charges, a British businessman was the victim of an extortion operation in which a fictitious bomb was tied to his leg.[27] The Bhutto family believed the indictment was false and politically motivated.[40] While incarcerated, he won a seat in the National Assembly during the elections held in October 1990.[41] To express disapproval of Zardari's imprisonment, Bhutto and the PPP organised a walkout from the National Assembly's opening session.[41] He posted $20,000 bond, but a government ordinance eliminating the court's authority to free detainees undergoing expedited trials in the terrorist court prevented him from being released.[7] Later, the ordinance was repealed, and he was found not guilty of bank fraud and conspiracy toHe kills opponents in politics.His release took place in February 1993.[7] Zardari was cleared of all charges related to bank fraud in March 1994.[42] The courts dismissed or dropped all other corruption cases pertaining to Bhutto's first tenure.[43]The demands of the hijackers aboard Singapore Airlines Flight 117 on March 25, 1991, included Zardari's release. The Singapore Commandos killed the hijackers.[44]

Participation of politics in the second Bhutto government

He joined the group of 18 cabinet ministers in the caretaker government that took over after Nawaz Sharif's first limited tenure in April 1993.[45] The interim administration was in place until the elections in July.[45] He held positions as Bhutto's Investment Minister, Chief of the Intelligence Bureau, and Director of the Federal Investigation Agency following her victory.[43] In exchange for three jailed Pakistanis who were apprehended on the disputed Kuwait-Iraq border, Benazir dispatched Zardari to meet with Saddam Hussein in Iraq in February 1994 with the intention of delivering medicine.[47] Zardari refuted claims in April 1994 that he was exercising unchecked power as aserving as the "de-facto Prime Minister" and spouse.[48][49] He was named chairman of the newly formed Environment Protection Council in March 1995.[50][51]

A family dispute between Benazir and her mother Nusrat Bhutto erupted at the start of the second Bhutto administration on the political prospects of Benazir's younger brother, Murtaza Bhutto, who is Nusrat's son.[52] Benazir congratulated Zardari on his backing.[52] During Karachi's three-year civil war, Murtaza and seven other people perished in a gunfight with police in September 1996.[53][54] At Murtaza's burial, Nusrat pledged to prosecute and held Benazir and Zardari accountable.[43][53] Murtaza's widow, Ghinwa Bhutto, too charged Zardari of orchestrating his murder.[43][55] Benazir and Zardari's complicity was also suspected by President Farooq Leghari, who would oust the Bhutto government seven weeks after Murtaza's death.[43] Leading publications in Pakistan claimed that Zardari wanted his brother-in-law removed from thedue to Murtaza's actions as the leader of a PPP breakaway faction.[43]

Leghari toppled Bhutto's government in November 1996, mostly due to corruption and Murtaza's passing.[43] Zardari attempted to leave Pakistan and travel to Dubai when he was detained in Lahore.[43][54]

Prison and banishment

According to the New York Times story

The New York Times released a significant exposé in January 1998 that described Zardari's extensive misappropriation of public monies and corruption.[56] According to the study, Zardari and a Pakistani partner received $200 million in payments in exchange for a $4 billion contract with French military contractor Dassault Aviation. The transaction fell through only after the Bhutto government was overthrown.[56] It included information on two $5 million payments made by a gold bullion merchant to obtain a monopoly on gold imports.[56] It contained data from detectives throughout Pakistan.claimed the Bhutto family had received bribes in almost every area of government business, resulting in the acquisition of almost $1.5 billion in illegal earnings.[56] Additionally, it detailed Zardari's mid-1990s shopping binge, which included jewellery purchases totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars.[56] The Bhutto family's plans for their money depended on Western real estate firms, Western solicitors and a circle of Western acquaintances.[56] According to the investigation, Zardari had arranged for meticulous discussions, covert contracts, and the firing of anyone who disagreed with his business practices.[56]

After the study, Citibank, which was already facing criticism for its private banking practices, faced additional difficulties.[57] The financial background of Zardari was one of the case studies included in a 1999 U.S. Senate report on weaknesses in banking practices.[58]

Second incarceration and verdict inWhile incarcerated in Karachi, Zardari was elected to the Senate in March 1997.[59][60] He was flown to Islamabad under strict security in December 1997 to take his oath.[59]

After the Swiss government sent money laundering documents to Pakistani authorities, he was charged with corruption there in July 1998.[61] He was also charged with money laundering by the Swiss.[61] At the same time, he and eighteen other people were charged with plotting to kill Murtaza Bhutto in a different case.[62] Following the start of criminal proceedings, Zardari's account was closed by Citibank.[57]

Bhutto and Zardari were found guilty in April 1999 of accepting bribes from a Swiss goods inspection company that was employed to eradicate corruption in the customs duty collection process.[63] The pair was hit with a fine of$8.6 million.[63][64] Both received five-year prison sentences, although Bhutto's self-imposed exile prevented her from being extradited back to Pakistan.[63]Zardari was already incarcerated and awaiting trial for unrelated offences [64].The Pakistani Bureau of Accountability and Swiss investigators had compiled the evidence used against them [63][64].[63][65]

He was admitted to the hospital in May 1999 following an alleged suicide attempt.[66] He asserted that the cops were attempting to assassinate him.[66]

A Swiss judge found Bhutto and Zardari guilty of money laundering in August 2003, and they were sentenced to six months in jail and a $50,000 fine.[67] They also had to give back $11 million to the Pakistani authorities.[67] Charges of receiving payments from two Swiss companies in return for customs clearance led to the conviction.deception.[68] Further accusations were made against the pair in France, Poland, and Switzerland.[69]

By judicial decree, he was freed on bond in November 2004.[70][71][72] He was unintentionally detained a month later for missing an Islamabad murder case hearing.[70][71][72] He was given a Karachi house arrest.[70][72] He was freed on $5,000 bond a day later.[70][71] His initial release, subsequent detention, and subsequent release were all seen as indicators of the PPP and Musharraf's government becoming more amicable.[70][71] In late 2004, upon his second release, he departed into exile in Dubai.[27][73]

Legal issues and banishment

In April 2005, he went back to Lahore.[73][74][75] Police escorted him from the airport to his house so he could not hold rallies.[73][74][75] He denounced the regime of Pervez Musharraf, but there were growing rumours that Musharraf and the PPP were getting back together.[74][75] Back in Dubai in May 2005, Zardari went.[76, 77]

He suffered a heart attack in June 2005 and received treatment in the United Arab Emirates.[76][77] According to a PPP representative, he had an angioplasty in the US.[77] When he failed to appear for a hearing in Rawalpindi in September 2005 about charges of corruption, the court issued an arrest warrant.[77] According to his solicitors, he was still recuperating from his treatment and was unable to attend.[77] In January, after the court in Rawalpindi made a request, Interpol issued a red notice.2006 against the pair, requesting that member countries decide whether to extradite them.[78][79]

In September of 2007, Bhutto made public her plans to return to Pakistan while her husband was receiving medical attention in New York City.[80] Bhutto said that "it was not done by militants" and blamed Pakistani security services for the October 2007 blast in Karachi, which marred his comeback.[81][82] He had stayed in Dubai with their girls, not going with Bhutto. Bhutto demanded the dismissal of the attacks' lead investigator, citing his alleged involvement in Zardari's 1999 alleged abuse while incarcerated.[83]

Under the excuse of growing Islamist sentiment, Musharraf imposed emergency rule in November 2007 for a period of six weeks (see Pakistani state of emergency, 2007)[84].militancy, just after Bhutto's trip to Dubai for Zardari's meeting.[85, 86] Bhutto left for Pakistan as soon as the state of emergency was declared, while Zardari remained in Dubai once more.[85, 87] Just prior to the Supreme Court of Pakistan's consideration of Musharraf's National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), which has the support of the United States, the government declared emergency. Under this ordinance, corruption charges against Bhutto and Zardari would be dropped in exchange for a coalition led by Bhutto and Musharraf governing Pakistan.[85][86] While expressing sympathy for Pervez Musharraf in his conflict with the Supreme Court, Bhutto and Zardari also opposed the declaration of martial law.[85][86][87] Musharraf replaced the Supreme Court's members with his allies before it could render a ruling.[85, 86]

During his banishment, Zardari faced numerous legal issues. Pakistan's Musharraf wasgranted him pardon for the alleged acts in the October 2007 draft of the National Reconciliation Ordinance.[68] But the ordinance was up against an unyielding judiciary and growing public outcry.[68] Furthermore, it addressed charges only through 1999.[68] This raised the prospect of looking into his purported role in the $2 million in illicit kickbacks to Saddam Hussein that were uncovered in October 2005 as part of the oil-for-food scheme.[68] He would have been faced with accusations of avoiding duties on an armoured BMW, commissions from a Polish tractor maker, and a bribe from a gold bullion dealer if the ordinance had been revoked.[68] The 2003 Swiss conviction was challenged by Bhutto and Zardari in Switzerland, necessitating a reopening of the case in October 2007.[68] November 2007 saw SwissIn accordance with the National Reconciliation Ordinance, officials gave him back the $60 million that had been frozen through offshore businesses.[88] Due to the illegal revenues handled through Spanish companies, a criminal inquiry concerning the money laundering for the oil-for-food programme was launched in Spain.[68] He was battling the Pakistani government in a legal suit in Britain to recover money from the liquidation of a property in Surrey.[68] He was able to delay the outcome of his British manor trial by using his medical diagnosis.[89][90][91]

His three children lived in residences in Dubai, London, and New York during his exile.[27]

After his wife was killed, he went back to Pakistan on the evening of December 27, 2007.[92]

Co-chair of the PPP following Bhutto's killing and

Main article: Benazir Bhutto's assassinationIn conformity with Islamic law, Zardari stopped Bhutto's autopsy.[93, 94] The following day was her funeral, which he and their kids attended.[95] He refuted claims made by the authorities that Al-Qaida was behind the assassination.[93][96] He said that if Musharraf's government had given her proper security, she would still be alive and demanded an international investigation into her death.[94][97][98] In exchange for a United Nations investigation, he and his family offered to accede to Musharraf's demand that Bhutto's body be dug up; however, Musharraf turned down their offer.[99]

Bhutto had chosen Zardari to be her party leader in her political will.[93] [96] [100] Nevertheless, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, their nineteen-year-old son, rose to the position of PPP Chairman because Zardari preferred Bilawal to carry on Bhutto's legacy, partly to prevent internal strife within the party because ofhis own lack of popularity.[93] [96] [101] Nevertheless, he co-chaired the PPP for a minimum of three years till Bilawal finished his studies abroad.[93] [100] [101]In the February elections, the PPP and the PML-N secured the most and second-most seats, respectively.[105][106] He and Sharif decided to establish a coalition government, dashing American expectations that he and Musharraf would agree to a power-sharing arrangement.[105][106] Though Zardari used a more lenient approach than Sharif, they both promised to reinstate the judiciary.[106][107] American ambassador Anne W. Patterson met with him and urged a deal with Musharraf.[106] He contacted leaders of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, the Awami National Party, and the Baloch nationalist movement—all of whom had abstained from the elections—in an effort to fortify the new alliance.[108][109]