End of Zardari? US wants 110% from 'Mr 10%'

2 May 2009 ET Bureau

WASHINGTON: Imagine inviting a guest home for dinner and telling him ? and the rest of the world ? ahead of time that he is weak, fragile, and incompetent. That's pretty much what the Obama administration has done to Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari.

Whether it is a casual disregard for diplomatic niceties or a deliberate snub, Washington has virtually written Zardari's political obituary by publicly sending out a message that it does not think much of him or his government.

Zardari, who was in Libya on Thursday and will also stop by in London, is expected in Washington on May 6 for trilateral talks with his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai at a meeting hosted by President Obama. He can't be feeling very good about it.

It began with President Obama himself undermining the Pakistani leader and his government at his press conference, calling it fragile and unable to deliver basic services. In other words, incompetent.

Obama also compounded the insult by clearly suggesting that Washington trusted the Pakistani army with custodial control of the country's nuclear weapons and keeping them away from extremists.

Since then, several administration heavyweights have taken the cue and both berated and undermined Islamabad's relatively young civilian government, making Zardari's continuation in office highly untenable. There have been leaks galore in the US press ahead of the Zardari visit that Washington is now looking to his rival Nawaz Sharif, who is seen as closer to the Pakistani military, for leadership.

While the White House convened a high level meeting on Saturday to discuss the strategy for Pakistan, the wire service UPI and the New York Times among other outlets carried stories on the weekend saying the administration was looking to establish better relations with Sharif, who was previously looked on with suspicion because of his close ties with Islamists.

One possibility being discussed is Washington may want Sharif as prime minister in place of the incumbent, Yousuf Raza Gilani, with the backing of the Pakistani army. The army's primacy remains unquestioned by the US.

Evidently unnerved at the possibility ? and clearly miffed at his government being described as ''fragile'' ? Gilani told reporters in Pakistan that President Obama's observations at his White House press conference was his ''personal opinion.'' US Presidents are not known though to essay personal opinion from the White House lectern.

Meantime, there was even greater consternation in Pakistani circles over reports Washington had given Islamabad a two-week deadline (in comments attributed to US General David Petraeus) to sort out the Taliban or risk a US military intervention. US officials subsequently denied the report but said Pakistan needed to be consistent and decisive in its action against extremists.

''This is not something we're going to be able to deal with in two days, two weeks, two months. This is going to take time,'' said State Department spokesman Robert Wood, adding, ''But what's important is ... 110 per cent effort.''

But from all accounts, Washington does not think the man who is famously known as Mr Ten Per cent can make the 110 per cent effort. The big question now is whether Zardari can survive two weeks in office after being so severely undermined by the US.