A SLICE OF HISTORY

The Zardari Presidency: An Insider's Account is an essential read for understanding Pakistani politics from 2008 to 2013, offering a fresh perspective that challenges prevailing media narratives by providing context, behind-the-scenes insights, and candid assessments of the era's complexities and challenges.

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Farhatullah Babar is a Pakistani politician and a prominent member of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP).

He has served in the Pakistan Senate for two terms at different periods and was a spokesperson for the party, the late Benazir Bhutto and then Asif Ali Zardari. He served as the official spokesperson during the first term of President Asif Ali Zardari(2008-2013). His book, "The Zardari Presidency: An Insider's Account," is by all accounts not a detached and dispassionate account of those years, but as a historical document of those years, it is invaluable.

What the account provides is a graphic detail of how the Pakistani establishment works, and how the President or the Prime Minister has to balance a variety of forces simply to survive in office. It reveals remarkable behind-the-scenes details for the first time about these complexities. To be fair to Babar, there is considerable honesty in putting across this perspective with some humour and a considerable sense of lament.

It is expected that Babar's picture of Zardari will project him, not as a corrupt venal opportunist but a shrewd, patient, and pragmatic political strategist who successfully navigated existential threats to democracy. The picture that emerges is of Asif Ali Zardari is one of a passionate leader who has tough choices to make, and many difficult compromises simply to keep the system going and the democratic facade in place.