In a recent television interview, former Home Minister of Sindh, Dr. ZulfiqarMirza claimed that his tussle with former President Asif Zardari had only one logical conclusion, ‘There are two people and one grave’.
The story starts in the early 70s at Cadet College, Petaro, where some of Sindh’s most powerful men realized from a very young age that their strength would maximize if they stuck together. Barely in their teens, attending St Patrick’s High School, this particular group of friends developed a reputation of loyalty towards each other and deterrence towards anyone who would challenge them. One was the son of a mediocre tribal leader while the other was the scion of a Supreme Court judge. It seemed like a match made in heaven.
It is common for such men in their early days to be blinded by the limited power and influence of their respective families. At this age, all one can see is how their power multiplies with each passing day. Certainly, one feels untouchable, immune from the writ of the State and very much in control. It takes time, one or two decades at least to realize the follies of one’s past actions; it is widely believed that the same time leads to wisdom.
The polo playing Asif Zardari, son to the owner of Bambino cinema, contested a District Council seat from Nawabshah. Unfortunately, his political legacy was not enough to secure him a victory. But there was another legacy, a name which would eventually help him climb the steps of Pakistan’s very own Iron Throne. His wife would not change her last name to her husband’s, but the husband was more than happy to embrace the last name of his wife.
Success both monetary and political comes easy when one is married to the most powerful woman of the country. A man of modest beginnings saw himself becoming the most powerful man of Pakistan while his wife was the Prime Minister. While not well educated, Zardari possessed business acumen hard to beat. Within a few years, his personal wealth exceeded the billion dollar mark, that too in the 90s when such a classification was not as common as it is now.
Mirza, working for PIA at the time, had no visible wealth or power in Badin or any other place for that matter. He was just another salaried employee of an airline, barely making ends meet, yet as the destiny of his childhood buddy flipped, he was bound to get a taste of some of the action.
In the early 90s, a refurbished Mirza entered Badin, driving a brand new Pajero and hoping to build a brand new sugar mill. Of course, everyone knew where the money came from, and whose power was behind this medical doctor no one had previously heard about. In Badin, the business of one sugar mill multiplied into two then subsequently to three, then to four until the State had to limit the introduction of new sugar mills. Mirza contested elections as an MNA from Badin and proved to be one of the most supreme loyalists of the friend who had given him more than what he had ever hoped for.
Zardari was jailed on charges of corruption, murder, conspiracy to murder and financial fraud among other things. During this time, he relied on the loyalty of his friends more than anything else, since he knew that he could still influence the political happenings of Pakistan if his friends were there to serve him. Benazir was in exile thus could do nothing to influence the predicament faced by her beloved husband. One’s enemies become lion hearted when their foe is rotting in jail, but Zardari was a politician’s politician and a few metal bars between him and his enemies would not be enough to contain or control him. Mysteriously, the people who were to give statements against Zardari started disappearing. Some fled abroad while others met their maker. Mirza was suspected of committing many of these crimes in order to protect his political patron and mentor.
Fast forward to 2008. Zardari is the President of Pakistan, Mirza the Home Minister of Sindh while Rehman Malik is the Federal Interior Minister. It would be pertinent to mention that the power of the Federal Interior Minister is sufficiently greater than that of a Provincial Home Minister. After all, the entire civilian intelligence agencies, the anti narcotics force, the Rangers, the Federal Police force, Nadra and many other units are under the authority of the Federal Interior Minister while the Provincial Home Minister has to be satisfied with limited influence in one Police force of one province. The situation was messy from the start, how could Mirza, the egoist take orders from Rehman Malik, the sly and cunning?
A press conference against the then government’s coalition partner, MQM was enough to cost Mirza his job. He was offered another portfolio, which was not accepted since he was left with a bitter taste in his mouth, yet he did not open it to discredit his former boss.
During this time, business was still fine and dandy. Billions were earned and spent and it would be safe to say that there was plenty more from where the existing wealth came from. Instead of engaging in meaningless luxuries, Mirza sought to buy his way into power, independent of Zardari’s influence or wishes. The former President realized that it was his own money, which was funding opposition to his power in Badin and thus committed an action, which would turn his best friend into his most fierce rival. He took back the sugar mills under Mirza’s control and put an end to all his supply of money. When it comes to friends, money should not be relevant, but when it is, we can imagine how bad the situation gets.
Initially, Mirza started with blaming an industrialist, Anvar Majeed for controlling and monopolizing the sugar industry of Sindh. When his cries went unnoticed, he resorted to greater personal attacks on several PPP members and then on the former President. The former buddy leveled allegations of corruption, extortion, money laundering, murder, rape and many others against Asif Zardari. The party had ended and everyone knew it.
Mr. Zardari is known to be the cleverest politician alive in Pakistan. I personally believe that his political acumen cannot be competed against by any of his foes. Perhaps he learnt valuable lessons whilst in the solitary domain of a prison cell. He once said ‘the first two years pass easily, after that the walls start talking to you and ask you what you are made of’. His intellectual strengths aside, governance is not one of Mr. Zardari’s strong suits. He has a laid back attitude to the general state of affairs of his people and is only bothered when his own political power is affected. Perhaps this particular trait was enough to estrange his own son, who wished to improve PPP’s governance in the province, which had elected them so many times. While many speculations were abound of the feud between the father and son, it would be safe to assume that Bilawal will not sacrifice the political structure made by his father no matter what he personally feels. Mirza tried to woe Bilawal by naming him his leader but failed miserably when he was labeled as Brutus. Goes to show that no man can or should come between father and son.
The present debacle outside Sindh High Court comes after a day of the appointment of a political nobody as Home Minister Sindh. It is quite clear that he has been given the task to take Mirza to task and judging by the present situation, he already has the upper hand. The masked SSU’s are evidence enough to show that the police is politicized all over Pakistan, willing to serve the personal interests of their political masters when needed.
This is not a battle between two politicians. It is an exposé highlighting the state of affairs in Sindh. The provincial government of PPP has miserably failed and the humble 85-year-old Chief Minister is not capable of handling this job anymore. To the people who can influence this predicament, I would only ask them not to let this charade continue, for it is at the cost of the poor, impoverished people of Sindh who have had enough of these games played by their masters.
