Zardari: Picking up Courage or Fool Hardy?

Army rules Pakistan. Is Zardari capable of taking on  Pakistan Army and ISI ? Zardari,  literally speaking has come on the scene only yesterday. He has in addition the blot of being highly corrupt. Political parties depend upon ISI and Politicians on army support for survival.

Army in Pakistan is a force to reckon with. In fact the only cohesive force. ( LeT, Taliban Jaishe Mohammed and other terrorist organizations  are forces, but can in no way be termed cohesive)

Democracy has not been able to take root in Pakistan. You only have to take note of the fact that not one of the head of government has ever died a peaceful death at home in Pakistan.

       Iskandar Mirza was among the first presidents to go to London and be in exile. Musharraf their last president is in still in  exile in London. There is a warrant of arrest for him. Nawaz Sharif was in exile for a long time and managed to come back after supplicating with the Pakistan Army. His predecessor Benazir Bhutto was in exile , once again in London for long before the army under Musharraf allowed her to come home and meet a tragic end.

     Right now the bonhomie between the US and the Pakistan Army is at a low ebb. That must have encouraged Zardari to approach  Mullen in US warning him of another takeover by the military.

Zardari clearly under-estimated the deep bonds that Pakistan Army and ISI had and continue to have in the US defense circles CIA and the State Department.

 General Kayani is fully aware that Zardari is no match for the army. He is only a civilian mask, to the real power in Pakistan. He is also the fall boy. Kayani appears to have learned from Musharraff Sharief episode. Why take over and create a circumstance like his predecessor Musharraf did in deposing an elected government under Nawaz Sharief ? Pakistan became a pariah among democratic nations, and was even thrown out of Commonwealth. It took Musharraf nearly two years to get some legitimacy and be acknowledged as head of government in Pakistan.