NEW YORK, Sept 5: “Though he (Asif Zardari) has won the reluctant support of the Bush administration, which views him as a willing partner in the campaign against terrorism, he will start his tenure burdened by a history of corruption allegations that cloud his reputation even as they remain unproved,” the New York Times said on Friday.

In an analysis of the political situation in Pakistan, the newspaper said: “It remains to be seen how forcefully he will act against militants in the face of Pakistani public opposition to American pressure. Nor is it clear how much influence he exerts over the still powerful military and the nation’s premier spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence”.

The Times noted that an effort to control the agency and impress the Bush administration had failed in July. Washington has said that the agency is involved in sabotaging American interests by supporting the Taliban in the tribal region. Mr Zardari and an Interior Ministry official directed that the agency to report to the Interior Ministry; the military swiftly ordered that the notice be retracted.