WHERE is Asif Zardari and why is he not in Pakistan? At once a great mystery and an open secret, the whereabouts of the PPP co-chairman and the reasons for his absence from the country are not matters the party leadership likes to dwell on publicly. Indeed, the leadership Mr Zardari has left behind to run the Sindh government and represent the party nationally would like to pretend it does not matter where the de facto PPP boss is. The party argues that it is fully empowered and not reliant on Mr Zardari for routine decision-making. But not only is that claim false, it is an on-going disservice to the democratic project. A simple metric, if publicly revealed, would establish the truth: how many ministers and MPAs in Sindh have travelled abroad to meet Mr Zardari since he left Pakistan; how often have they travelled for that purpose; and how many days have they collectively spent outside the country and wherever Mr Zardari has set up court? It is preposterous to pretend that a government anywhere can function effectively or even reasonably if ministers and principals are constantly shuttling to foreign lands to seek direction.

Galling too is the apparent reason for Mr Zardari’s prolonged absence from the country: the PPP supremo seems afraid that he will be ensnared by the Rangers-run operation in Sindh that shows no sign of abating and that continues to target politicians. Few will have forgotten Mr Zardari’s boasts as president and during the last parliament of how he preferred years in jail to ever abandoning his country. That seems to be no longer the case and, extraordinarily, it is no longer the case when there is no clear or immediate danger that Mr Zardari faces. After all, be it close advisers or other public figures alleged to be close to the former president, none of the Rangers’ legal manoeuvres have so far yielded serious convictions. In any case, a frontal attack against Mr Zardari by the military-led security establishment would likely trigger a national political crisis. Can Mr Zardari, with the best legal representation, strong political support from a national party and a record of supporting democratic continuity, really be so insecure about his freedom were he to return to Pakistan? And if that is the case, can it really be said that the PPP is a true custodian of the democratic project? Mr Zardari, come back to your country.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2016