Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari
| Photo Credit: PTI

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari on June 30 gave his assent to the government’s tax-heavy Finance Bill 2024, which drew sharp criticism from the Opposition which labelled it as an IMF-driven document that was harmful to the public for the new fiscal year, according to a media report.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb presented the Budget in the National Assembly on June 12, drawing sharp criticism from the opposition parties, especially jailed former premier Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), as well as coalition ally Pakistan Peoples Party led by former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.

On June 28, Parliament passed the Pakistani Rs 18,877 billion Budget for the fiscal year 2024-25, detailing the expenditures and income of the government.

The Opposition parties, mainly parliamentarians backed by currently incarcerated former premier Khan, had rejected the Budget, saying it would be highly inflationary.

During the National Assembly session, opposition lawmakers criticised the Budget, asserting that it was now an open secret that the document was dictated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Leader of the Opposition Omar Ayub Khan had denounced the budget as “economic terrorism against the people”.

Earlier this week, the PPP — which had initially boycotted the debate over the Budget — decided that it would vote for the finance bill despite certain reservations.

On Friday, the National Assembly passed the budget with some amendments. The motion was preceded by fiery speeches from the opposition, who described the budget as unrealistic, anti-people, anti-industry, and anti-agriculture, the Dawn newspaper reported.

President Zardari on Sunday gave assent to the bill in accordance with Article 75 of the Constitution, the media wing of the President House said, adding that the bill would be applicable from July 1. Under Article 75 (1), the president has no power to reject or object to the finance bill, which is considered to be a money bill as per the Constitution.

On June 28, the Government extended exemptions in specific sectors while announcing new tax measures in several areas to generate additional revenue in the coming fiscal year to meet the International Monetary Fund’s criteria.

Pakistan is in talks with the IMF for a loan of $6 billion to USD 8 billion, the report said. Earlier this week, PM Shehbaz confirmed that the budget was prepared in collaboration with the IMF.

Amendments include introducing a capital value tax on property in Islamabad, implementing new tax measures on builders and developers and increasing the Petroleum Development Levy (PDL) on diesel and petrol by Pakistani Rs 10 instead of the proposed Pakistani Rs 20.

According to the budget documents, the gross revenue receipts have been estimated at Pakistani Rs 17,815 billion, including Pakistani Rs 12,970 billion in tax revenues and Pakistani Rs 4,845 billion in non-tax revenue.

The share of provinces in the federal receipts will be Pakistani Rs 7,438 billion. The growth target had been set at 3.6% during the next fiscal year. Inflation is expected to be 12%, budget deficit 5.9% of GDP and primary surplus will be one per cent of the GDP.

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari family members attend a ceremony after Mr. Zardari became the first Pakistani to be elected as Pakistan’s President for the second time. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

The Zardaris have overtaken the Sharifs to hold the record for having the most number of lawmakers from a family in Pakistani politics after President Asif Ali Zardari and slain former premier Benazir Bhutto’s youngest daughter Aseefa was elected unopposed as a member of Parliament.

Ms. Aseefa Bhutto Zardari (31), who is set to become the First Lady, had filed a nomination for the National Assembly seat NA-207 from the Shaheed Benazirabad (formerly Nawabshah) area of Sindh province for the bye-election scheduled for next month.

According to a notification issued by the Returning Office of the area, Ms. Bhutto Zardari was elected unopposed after three candidates who had filed papers against her withdrew their names from the contest. It left her with no challenger and she was declared a winner in her maiden electoral contest on March 29. The seat was vacated by her father Asif Ali Zardari after he was elected as the president.

Ms. Bhutto Zardari holds a bachelor’s degree in politics and sociology and a master’s in global health and development. She served as a goodwill ambassador for the polio eradication campaign in 2012.

With her victory, the Zardari family has six lawmakers at the national and provincial levels. Mr. Zardari is the country’s president, his daughter Aseefa, son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and brother-in-law Munawar Ali Talpur are Members of the National Assembly. Mr. Zardari’s sisters Faryal Talpur and Azra Pechuho are members of the provincial assembly in Sindh.

The Zardari family has the most number of legislators from a single family, breaking the record set by the Sharif family.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s elder brother Nawaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shehbaz Sharif have been elected MNAs. Maryam Nawaz Sharif is the chief minister of Punjab.

Both political families are very influential and have dominated Pakistani politics for decades.

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari on March 23 urged all political parties to set aside their differences to tackle the multiple problems faced by the cash-strapped country amidst increasing political polarisation and a spike in terror attacks.

Mr. Zardari was addressing the 84th Pakistan Day celebrations and Army parade held at the Parade Ground area in Islamabad.

The day marks the adoption of the historic Lahore Resolution on this day in 1940 which provided a framework for the realisation of the goal of a separate homeland for Muslims of South Asia.

Saudi Defence Minister Khalid Bin Salman was the guest of honour on the occasion. Mr. Zardari inspected the parade of tri-services and admired the preparedness of the forces. He also used the occasion to urge for building internal consensus while shunning political differences.

“I request all political parties that they should set aside all their political issues and work for the development and prosperity of the country,” Mr. Zardari, who was elected as President earlier this month, said.

Mr. Zardari was referring to the protest by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) against the alleged rigging in the election and imprisonment of its leader Imran Khan. Mr. Zardari said that Pakistan was facing multiple challenges but the newly-elected government would address the challenges faced by the country.

“I am happy that a democratic government has been set up after elections. Now it is our responsibility to tackle all challenges. I believe that as we did in the past, we will tackle all problems and we will take the country out of the current troubles,” he said.

He said Pakistani forces were strong enough to face the threat and defend the country, adding that the success of Pakistan against terrorism has been acknowledged by the world.

The President said the country had already set up the Special Investment Facilitation Centre (SIFC), including top civil and military leadership, to make key decisions regarding developing important sectors such as mining, agriculture, and information technology.

Mr. Zardari said that Pakistan being a peaceful nuclear state was eager to have good ties with all neighbours but warned that it would not tolerate any kind of aggression.

“We will not tolerate any kind of effort by terrorists or any group to destabilise our country,” he said, apparently referring to the spike in terror attacks in the country and tensions with neighbouring Afghanistan.

The President termed the unresolved issue of Kashmir as the main source of instability in the region and urged the dispute should be resolved according to the UN resolutions. “The people of Pakistan will always stand by Kashmiris in their struggle and will always support them,” he said, reiterating Islamabad’s stated stand.

India has firmly told Pakistan that Jammu and Kashmir will always be an integral and inalienable part of the country. Mr. Zardari also demanded an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and urged for the opening of a humanitarian corridor to provide timely support to the besieged people of Gaza.

The President especially thanked China, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Turkiye for providing support to debt-trapped Pakistan in difficult times.

The main feature of the day was the grand military parade in Islamabad where contingents of three armed forces and other security forces conducted a march past while fighter planes performed aerobatic maneuvers.

Separately, Mr. Zardari, who became Pakistan’s President for a second time, stressed the nation to participate in the nation-building process actively, embracing the values of hard work, integrity, and compassion.

In his message on Pakistan Day, he honoured the commitment and sacrifices made by the Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and his companions.

“Our armed forces, civil administration, police, and law enforcement agencies have, with unwavering commitment, ensured the safety, security, and sovereignty of our nation,” he said.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in his message asked the nation to renew the firm resolve to follow the footsteps of the founding fathers to make Pakistan a trivet of peace, progress and stability.

“Our forefathers made untiring efforts and rendered exemplary sacrifices for Pakistan as millions of Muslims left their homes in India and decided to migrate to Pakistan,” he said.

“We are completely cognisant of the serious challenges confronting Pakistan currently including inflation, unemployment, circular debt, fiscal and trade deficit, and above all the growing scourge of terrorism,” he said and assured to stand committed to putting Pakistan on the path to economic recovery and prosperity with a cogent policy reform framework.

Radio Pakistan reported that special prayers were offered in mosques after predawn prayers for the prosperity and solidarity of the country. The national flag was hoisted on major government buildings.

Islamabad:

Aseefa Bhutto, the youngest daughter of Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and late premier Benazir Bhutto, has taken a plunge into the country’s tumultuous politics by filing her candidacy for the bypoll at a National Assembly seat in Sindh Province vacated by her father.

Aseefa, 31, has been active in politics for some time but was kept away from parliamentary politics by her father Zardari, also the co-chairperson of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), until an opportune time.

Following her father’s inauguration as the 14th president of Pakistan, Aseefa is poised to become the First Lady, a position traditionally held by the spouse of the president.

Aseefa submitted nomination papers on Sunday in the bye-election for the NA-207 constituency of Shaheed Benzirabad district in the Sindh province.

Her father and president, Asif Ali Zardari, won the seat but vacated it after becoming president.

Aseefa has a resemblance to her mother, who was killed in a bombing and suicide attack in 2007 in Rawalpindi. Aseefa was then a teenager and suffered more emotionally as compared to her two elder siblings, Bakhtawar and Bilawal.

Bilawal, a former foreign minister, is the chairperson of the PPP.

It may be the reason that she was driven closer to her father, who, after becoming president, designated her the First Lady.

Although her 35-year-old brother Bilawal had already taken over the party, Aseefa is considered a natural heir to her mother, who took over the party after her father Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was hanged in 1979 due to alleged involvement in a murder case.

The by-elections will be held on April 21, and Aseefa is almost sure to win. By becoming part of the parliament, she would strengthen her party and also family politics.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

There was no immediate comment by Pakistan’s military and the Taliban government in Afghanistan denounced the strikes, which are likely to further increase tension between the neighbouring countries.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

“Pakistani airstrikes targeted multiple suspected hideouts of Pakistani Taliban inside Afghanistan early Monday (March 18), two days after insurgents killed seven soldiers in a suicide bombing and coordinated attacks in the northwest,” two security officials said.

There was no immediate comment by Pakistan’s military and the Taliban government in Afghanistan denounced the strikes, which are likely to further increase tension between the neighbouring countries.

Two Pakistani security and intelligence officials said the airstrikes were carried out in Khost and Paktika provinces bordering Pakistan. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to media on the record.

The officials provided no further details, and it was unclear whether jets went deep inside Afghanistan. The Pakistani Taliban also confirmed Monday’s strikes in a statement.

Chief Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement that Pakistan’s airstrikes in Barmal distirct in Paktika killed three women and three children while two other women were killed in the strike in Khost province.

The airstrikes came two days after a suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden truck into a military post in northwest Pakistan, killing seven soldiers.

Pakistani troops also came under attack on March 16 and they killed all six militants responsible in a shootout in North Waziristan, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that borders Afghanistan.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari attended the funerals of the soldiers and vowed to retaliate for their killings, saying “the blood of our martyred soldiers will not go in vain.” Saturday’s attack on the military post was claimed by a newly formed militant group, Jaish-e-Fursan-e-Muhammad. However, Pakistani security officials believed the group mainly is comprised of members of the outlawed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, which often targets Pakistani soldiers and police.

Syed Muhammad Ali, an Islamabad based security expert, said Monday’s strikes were in retaliation for a series of TTP attacks, especially the one on Saturday in Mir Ali in which an Army lieutenant colonel and captain were among those killed.

He said the Pakistani strikes came within 24 hours of Mr. Zardari’s promise of strong retaliation. “It also indicates that Pakistan’s patience for the Afghan interim government’s continued hospitality for terrorists conducting frequent attacks on Pakistan from inside Afghanistan has finally run out,” he said.

The Pakistani Taliban are a separate group but are allies of the Afghanistan Taliban, who seized power in Afghanistan in 2021 as the U.S. and NATO troops were in the final stages of their pullout. The Taliban takeover in Afghanistan emboldened TTP, whose top leaders and fighters are hiding in Afghanistan.

Though the Taliban government in Afghanistan often says it will not allow TTP or any other militant group to attack Pakistan or any other country from its soil, the Pakistani Taliban have stepped up attacks inside Pakistan in recent years, straining relations with the Afghan Taliban government.

Islamabad:

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari announced on Tuesday his decision to forgo his salary while in office, citing the economic challenges faced by the country, The Express Tribune reported.

“In view of the prevailing economic challenges, President Zardari has decided that he will not draw his presidential salary. He took this decision to encourage prudent financial management in the country,” said a statement released by the President’s Secretariat.

The president considered it essential not to burden the national exchequer and preferred to forgo his salary, the statement added.

In a similar move, the newly sworn-in Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also decided against drawing a salary during his service period, The Express Tribune reported.

Taking to social media platform X, Naqvi stated that he committed to serving the nation in challenging times “in every possible way”.

On March 10, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Zardari was sworn in as the 14th President of Pakistan, officially taking over as the head of the state for a historic second time, Dawn reported.

Notably, Zardari is the only civilian candidate to have been elected as head of state for a second time, excluding the military heads. Earlier, he served as Pakistan President from 2008 to 2013.

Zardari had secured 411 electoral votes on Saturday to defeat his opponent and chief of the Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), Mehmood Khan Achakzai, who could only get 181 votes, according to the Election Commission of Pakistan.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa administered the oath to Zardari today at the President’s House in Islamabad. They were flanked by newly elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and outgoing President Arif Alvi.

Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir, Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, and PPP Chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari were also present.

Zardari is also one of the four democratically elected presidents to have completed their five-year constitutional term, as reported by Dawn.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Islamabad:

Pakistan’s newly-elected President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday announced that he would not draw any salary during his tenure as part of his bid to help the cash-strapped country face the challenging economic hardship.

Mr Zardari, 68, who took oath as Pakistan’s 14th President on Sunday, decided to encourage prudent financial management and not burden the national exchequer, his Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) said in a statement on X.

“The President considered it essential not to burden the national exchequer and preferred to forgo his salary,” President Secretariat Press Wing said in a press release on Tuesday.

Former president Arif Alvi was drawing Rs 8,46,550 per month, which was fixed by Parliament in 2018. Mr Zardari is one of the richest politicians in Pakistan.

Mr Zardari, co-chairman of the PPP, took oath as President of Pakistan for a second term at a ceremony at Aiwan-i-Sadr in Islamabad on Sunday.

Separately, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, following the steps of Zardari, also decided to forego his salary while in office citing the economic challenges faced by the country.

Taking to X, Mr Naqvi said that he committed to serving the nation in challenging times “in every possible way”.

Mr Naqvi said that he has decided to forego his salary during the tenure. “In these challenging times, committed to supporting and serving our nation in every possible way,” he said in an X post.

Debt-struck Pakistan has been reeling under economic pressure with the price of commodities touching sky-high prices.

The newly elected government needs a new loan from the International Monetary Fund on an urgent basis, and its politicians, who are often super-rich, use such tactics to win support from the impoverished masses.

In February last year, the Cabinet of then-prime minister Shehbaz Sharif gave up their salary and other perks to help the country tackle its possible default on external liabilities.

Addressing the maiden cabinet meeting after inducting 19 members on Monday, Prime Minister Sharif said that the first test of the cash-strapped country’s newly-elected government is to rein in inflation and prices of food items.

Mr Sharif, who was elected for a second term on Sunday, said that bringing inflation under control is the biggest challenge, however, the government together with the provincial administrations would consider ways how to manage the prices of the essentials.

“This is our first test,” he said.

Mr Sharif said Pakistan is facing massive challenges and a “deep surgery” is required to pull the cash-strapped country out of the economic crisis.

Taking stock of the issues and problems affecting the economy and the country, the prime minister asked his Cabinet members to “perform or perish”, saying that the time is “now or never”.

Mr Sharif said the government should make difficult decisions without wasting any time. “Deep surgery is needed as antibiotics will not work,” he said.

He directed the immediate formation of a committee to control the prices of essential food items.

He emphasised that strict action would be taken against unjustified price increases and profiteering in essential commodities.

In response to a recommendation by the Ministry of Commerce, the Cabinet also approved a restriction on the export of onions and bananas until the 15th of next month.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Ishaq Dar leaves after a press briefing in Islamabad. File photo
| Photo Credit: REUTERS

Ishaq Dar, a four-time former finance minister, has been appointed as Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, as the new government settled in to tackle myriad problems at the domestic and external fronts, including its relations with India and other neighbours.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday, March 11, 2024, inducted 19 members into his Cabinet, ending the tenuous wait for the completion of government formation in the cash-strapped country.

Mr. Dar, an ethnic Kashmiri and chartered accountant by training, is a senior leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). He is also a confidant of the party head and former three-time premier Nawaz Sharif.

With little experience in managing foreign affairs, he has been given the important portfolio when Pakistan’s ties with its neighbour India as well as Afghanistan are at their lowest ebb.

The two sides broke off trade ties and lowered diplomatic presence in each other’s capital in August 2019 after India revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the state into two Union Territories.

Pakistan has suffered due to a hiatus in trade as it used to import several items and raw materials at cheaper rates from India.

Mr. Dar, as an economic guru, favoured economic relations with the arch rival but it was not possible due to the Kashmir issue.

Mr. Dar’s position on Kashmir, which is the chief stumbling block in ties between Pakistan and India, should not be different from the general narrative of Pakistan that it should be solved according to the resolutions of the UN Security Council.

In a tweet on February 5, the Kashmir Solidarity Day, this year, Mr. Dar said Pakistan was “committed to its unwavering political, moral and diplomatic support to the just struggle of our Kashmiri brethren for their right of self-determination, as enshrined in the United Nations (UN) Charter and relevant UN resolutions.” I

India has repeatedly told Pakistan that Jammu and Kashmir “was, is and shall forever” remain an integral part of the country. New Delhi has told Islamabad that it desires normal neighbourly relations with it in an environment free of terror, hostility and violence.

This stand was reiterated by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on March 11, 2024 in New Delhi.

“We have never closed our doors to talking to Pakistan … but the terrorism issue should be fair, square at the centre of the conversation. It is the major issue … I am not saying there are no other issues. But I am not going to duck that issue for the sake of talking,” he said.

Mr. Dar, being an economist, should also be aware of the pitfalls of continuous antagonism with India which is the world’s fifth-largest economy.

However, any change in ties with India should come from the powerful establishment of the country.

Meanwhile, the Information Ministry in a statement elaborated on the various portfolios assigned to other Ministers.

Khawaja Muhammad Asif was appointed as minister for defence, defence production and aviation, Ahsan Iqbal as minister for planning, development and special initiatives, Azam Nazeer Tarar law and justice, human rights, Attaullah Tarar as minister of information and broadcasting, Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh as minister for maritime affairs and Muhammad Aurangzeb as Minister of Finance, Revenue.

Shaza Fatima Khawaja, the only woman Minister, was appointed as Minister of State.

Chinese President Xi Jinping. File
| Photo Credit: AP

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday congratulated Asif Ali Zardari on his election as Pakistan President, saying that the “iron-clad” friendship between the two countries is a “choice of history” and the strategic significance of their ties has become more prominent considering the current changes in the world.

Mr. Xi said that “the two countries have in recent years maintained close high-level exchanges, achieved fruitful results in the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and maintained a high level of development of bilateral relations”.

Islamabad:

Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday took oath as Pakistan’s 14th President, a day after the veteran politician staged a remarkable comeback when he was overwhelmingly elected as the only civilian president of the coup-prone country for a second time.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa administered the oath to the 68-year-old Mr Zardari in a small yet formal ceremony at Aiwan-e-Sadr, the Presidential Palace.

Mr Zardari replaces Dr Arif Alvi, who stayed in office for five months after completing his five-year term in September 2023.

The swearing-in ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir and Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Sahir Shamshad Mirza among other senior army and civilian officials and diplomats.

The outgoing president Mr Alvi, a senior member of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, also attended the oath-taking ceremony.

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and Zardari’s son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, his daughters Aseefa Bhutto Zardari and Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari and other family members were present on the occasion.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has congratulated Mr Zardari on his election as the president for the second term.

In a message, Shehbaz Sharif said that the Senate, National Assembly and elected members of all the four provincial assemblies have expressed their confidence in Zardari. He said that the Zardari will be a symbol of the strength of the federation.

This is the second time that Mr Zardari has won the presidency, a record for any civilian. Earlier he served as the 11th president of Pakistan from 2008 to 2013 and is one of the four democratically elected presidents to have completed their five-year constitutional term.

He has been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan since August 2018.

Co-chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Mr Zardari was the joint candidate of the ruling alliance and was elected on Saturday after he defeated Mahmood Khan Achakzai, a candidate backed by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) by a huge margin.

Born in 1955, Mr Zardari was brought up and educated in Karachi. He was married to Pakistan’s former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s daughter, Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated in December 2007.

“Congratulations to all democrats on the swearing in of Asif Ali Zardari as the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, God willing, Asif Ali Zardari will use all his powers as the President of Pakistan for the political, democratic and constitutional stability of the country and the country will be on the journey of development. Will proceed,” the party posted on its social media X handle.

The office of the president is a ceremonial post, and he acts on the advice of the prime minister. But Mr Zardari is expected to play a larger role as his PPP is a key partner of the coalition government.

While the chief ministers of Punjab and Sindh attended the ceremony, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur, who belongs to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party was not present.

Incidentally, almost 12 years ago, Qazi Faez Isa, who was then the Balochistan High Court’s Chief Justice and headed a Commission that investigated what was known as the Memogate scandal for over five months and exonerated Mr Zardari from any direct involvement in the memo scandal.

On Saturday, Mr Zardari secured 411 electoral votes in Parliament and all four provincial assemblies with the backing of allied parties – mainly Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) against Achakzai’s 181 electoral votes.

An electoral college comprising lawmakers belonging to federal and provincial assemblies votes for the president.

After the partition in 1947, Pakistan’s first president was Iskandar Mirza who took office on March 23, 1956 after the first constitution was adopted and the country became a republic. Before that the country was led by the governor generals who ruled under the amended India Act of 1935.

In an editorial, the Dawn newspaper noted that Mr Zardari was the country’s first civilian president to complete his tenure and his election as president has made him the first Pakistani to hold that office twice.

“It is evident that his style of politics has kept currency in the corridors of power despite the many sociopolitical changes this country has seen since the last time he occupied the presidency. It is, undoubtedly, a remarkable comeback orchestrated by a sharp political mind,” the editorial commented.

Both Shehbaz and Mr Zardari have returned to their previous roles now and sit at the pinnacle of their political careers, an editorial in The Express Tribune newspaper said.

“Earlier, Mr Zardari was dubbed as an accidental beneficiary entering the presidency. However, this time around, he ensured that the timely wheeling and dealing between the two major political parties – his PPP and the PML-N — paved the way for his return to the presidency,” it commented.

In line with Mr Zardari’s easy win in the vote involving legislators from Parliament and four provincial assemblies, there are hopes that the duo’s rule will mark a new phase of stability in the country,” it added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)