Zardari lacks political strength to allow concessions to India: Report

September 24th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The US Administration has reportedly come to the conclusion that a change in the Pakistani leadership is inevitable, after finding that President Asif Ali Zardari lacks credibility at home and has also failed constantly in keeping his promises, both on the war on terror and on government issues. According to a well known Pakistani journalist and columnist, Dr Shahid Masood , the US may never admit it publicly, but it has serious problems with Zardari, and wants a change in the leadership, without disturbing the country's system, "The main problem being faced by the US administration, which it may never admit publicly, is that the present set-up with Asif Ali Zardari as the de facto ruler, has no credibility at home and no ability to deliver on the promises he makes, either on the military side or on the war on terror or on governance issues," The News quoted Masood, as saying.

September 19th, 2009 LONDON - Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has said here that his country wants India to be part of the Friends of Democratic Pakistan group, a media report said Friday. We want India to be the part of Friends of Democratic Pakistan and will encourage any Indian investment in this regard, Zardari said while speaking Thursday at the think tank International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS), the Nation newspaper reported on its site.

September 17th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - An editorial in one of the leading English dailies of Pakistan has highlighted that President Asif Ali Zardari is being unnecessarily targeted and criticized by certain quarters in the country even if he attempts to address the long pending issues with India in his bid to de-escalate tension between the two neighbour countries. The Daily Times editorial said while Zardari is condemned for his overture to India, similar actions taken by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif goes unnoticed in the country.

August 15th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has said his party will not field any candidate against PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif in the upcoming by-polls. However, presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar was quoted by the Daily Times as saying that the PPP has not yet decided whether to field a candidate against Nawaz or not.

July 6th, 2009 LONDON - Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, who has the backing of top military commanders for his goodwill gestures towards India, has said that the army is united in dealing with the threat emanating from militants and are no more worried about the Indian threat. In Pakistan civil leaders always operate in the shadow of the military, but Zardari appears to have backing of the army high command for some controversial stances, a report in The Telegraph states.

June 30th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has said the military offensive in the Malakand division would continue until militants are completely eliminated from the region. "Either the militants have to lay down arms, give up militancy and accept state's authority or they have to be exterminated.

June 24th, 2009 BRUSSELS - Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has said that India is no longer a military threat to Pakistan, rather it is the Taliban which is threatening peace in the region as well as in the whole world. Talking to a private television channel ahead of the first summit between the European Union (EU) and Pakistan here, Zardari said both India and Pakistan do not have any ill-feelings against each other, and both the countries have good intentions.

June 16th, 2009 YEKATERINBURG - Foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan will meet in the next few weeks and review Islamabad's actions against terrorism before taking a decision on resuming their "composite dialogue", it was decided during talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Asif Ali Zardari here Tuesday. The two leaders agreed to a meeting between their foreign secretaries to discuss the "primary issue" of terrorism and report to them before the Non Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in the Egyptian town of Sharm-al-Sheikh in mid-July, officials said.

June 9th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has urged India to resume bilateral peace talks 'unconditionally' so that common problems afflicting both countries can be addressed effectively. Zardari told the Executive Director of the Kashmir Centre in Washington, Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai, that Pakistan wanted Kashmir issue resolve peacefully.

May 23rd, 2009 LAHORE - Hinting that the military offensive against the Taliban and other extremist groups could be expanded into other regions than the Swat Valley, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has said the Taliban would be hunted down everywhere inside the country's geographical territory. In an interview to a private television channel, Zardari refuted media reports that quoted him as saying that the government is planning to carry out military operations in Waziristan after Swat.

May 17th, 2009 NEW YORK - Former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf has said that the people of the country do not support the incumbent President Asif Ali Zardari over the idea of announcing an 'all out' war against the Taliban in the Swat Valley. In an interview with the CNN, Musharraf claimed that only 19 percent of the Pakistanis supported Zardari to fight the Taliban.

May 13th, 2009 LONDON - Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari Wednesday promised to improve his embattled country's ties with India under the terms of a new 'strategic dialogue' between Pakistan and Britain. The strategic dialogue, to be co-chaired by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Zardari, will rest on four 'fundamental principles', Brown said after the two leaders met at his Downing Street office in central London.

May 10th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has said that all Madarsas in the countries would be taken over by the government to separate the students from extremism and impart modern as well as religious education to them. Speaking at a community dinner here, Zardari said his government has resolved to bring reforms in the Madarsas system and bring it under the government system.

May 6th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has said he is eager to start talks with India soon to establish peace between both the nations. Zardari, who is in Washington to take part in a trilateral summit with his US and Afghanistan counterparts, said he was waiting for the Indian general elections to get over so that peace initiatives could be resumed, which was disrupted after the heightened tension in the wake of the Mumbai attacks.

April 30th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has urged citizens of the country to support the security forces in the fight against the Taliban and other extremists groups in Buner, Maidan and the Swat regions of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP). The military operation against the Taliban in the Swat Valley was critical for the protection of the country's Constitution, Zardari said.