Zardari's last chance to avert Minus-One formula

Islamabad, Mar. 28 (ANI): More than anything, its Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari's political survival that depends on his much-awaited address to the joint sitting of parliament. His speech could convince the power centers to re-thing over their earlier inclination of applying the Minus One formula.

Zardari probably has the last chance to establish before all the powerful players of the game that he had finally learnt his lessons, and was ready to restore the balance between the presidency and the prime minister after the restoration of the chief justice.

However, Pakistan Prime Minister Gilani would be more interested in Zardari's speech to know whether he was finally ready to return the sweeping powers taken away by the then-military dictator Gen Pervez Musharraf through the 17th Amendment, The News reports.

The PML-N leaders have now agreed for a ceasefire with Zardari after expressing satisfaction with the outcome of their long march, as they had achieved many goals with just one 'show of street power', the report says.

The show has made PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif a popular Pakistan leader in the eyes of the new American government, which considers Zardari to be unpopular.

According to the report, reason behind PML-N leaders wiling to give another chance to Zardari is because they don't want to give an impression to both local and outside forces that the party only believes in politics of agitation.

Such an impression might hurt its credentials in the eyes of powerful players of the game, who have played behind-the-scene roles at the time of restoration of the chief justice, the report adds.

The report concludes by saying that though many observers do believe that this is his last chance to avert the Minus One formula, the multi-dollar question still remains: Is Zardari capable of doing this? (ANI)