Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Zardari ‘could be kingmaker’

BHUTTO FAMILY SEEKS TO MAKE A MARK IN ELECTION

PAKISTAN’S only major left-leaning political party is fighting for its electoral relevance and to preserve the legacy of the country’s best-known political dynasty weeks before the country heads to the polls.


In his first election campaign, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the scion of the storied Bhutto family who now heads the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), is attempting to recapture the support for his mother, two-time former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, enjoyed on her return from exile in 2007, before she was assassinated on the campaign trail.

Party leaders insist the 29-year-old Bhutto, Oxford-educated like his mother and grandfather – also a former prime minister – brings a fresh new appeal to the party as it attempts to revive its waning fortunes in a general election called for July 25.

“With Bilawal in the frontline of our campaign, we hope to see a huge swathe of young people join us in our journey to turn back the tide of extremism, misgovernance and anti-democratic trends,” PPP Senator Sherry Rehman said.

Whether his father, former president Asif Ali Zardari, will be an asset or an obstacle in that effort remains a source of keen debate in Islamabad.

Some analysts and party insiders say Zardari’s tainted image, the result of numerous corruption allegations, could cost the party at the polls, where it will contrast with opposition rival Imran Khan’s relentless anti-graft message.

On the other hand, the most likely route back to power could be a post-election alliance with Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Infasf (PTI), which has seemingly eclipsed the PPP in the past five years, and the former president would be a key figure in any such negotiations.

Once the country’s most popular party, the PPP finds itself on the brink of political irrelevance at the national level, and analysts believe it is more likely to be Zardari’s ability to cut a deal, rather than his son’s populist rhetoric, that will keep the party afloat.

“Zardari is looking at himself as a post-election facilitator rather than a major player in the actual electoral battle,” political analyst Aamer Ahmed Khan said.

Both PPP and PTI officials were cagey when asked about the possibility of an alliance, but did not rule it out. PPP leaders say their campaign, fronted by Bilawal Bhutto, will focus in battling extremism and intolerance in a country scarred by more than a decade of militant Islamist violence.

“The People’s Party is going to forcefully and emphatically distinguish itself as the party that believes that in the state of Pakistan we must... not distinguish or discriminate between the adherents of any religion,” senator Aitzaz Ahsan said.

But while the PPP retains significant support in the traditional Bhutto-Zardari family stronghold of Sindh province, it appears to have lost ground na­tionally to the PTI. A Gallup nationwide poll in March put the party on 17 per cent, with PTI on 24 per cent and PML-N on 36 per cent.

That suggests the best chance for the opposition parties would indeed be some sort of alliance. Some in Islamabad believe Zardari has been quietly building ties with the military to that end – a suspicion enhanced in March when the PPP declined an opportunity to lead the Senate and instead helped elect an army-linked independent as Senate chairman.

The run-up to the election has been dominated by allegations that the powerful military has been attempting to destabilise the ruling Pakistan Mus­lim League-Nawaz (PML-N), paving the way to power for cricketer-turn-politician Khan’s PTI.

“We are seeing pre-poll election manipulation where people from all political parties are going and joining one party,” former PPP senator Babar said.

PML-N insiders say Sharif’s relationship with Pakistan’s powerful generals is in tatters and Sharif recently alluded to the military pressuring PML-N lawmakers and pushing them to abandon the party or join PTI. The military, which has ruled Pakistan for half its history, has repeatedly denied interfering in modern-day politics. Khan has denied colluding with the generals.

Zardari spent a total of 11 years in jail on charges of corruption and murder, though he was never convicted of any of the offences for which he was held and has always maintained his innocence.

He was released in 2004 after an eight-year stretch behind bars, and returned to Pakistan from self-exile three years later alongside Benazir Bhutto in her bid to retake the prime minister’s office and end the military rule of General Pervez Musharraf.

Bhutto was assassinated on the campaign trail three months after her return in a suicide attack.

Bhutto’s father Zulfiqar, who founded the PPP, was hanged by General Zia-ul-Haq in 1979 after be­ing deposed in a military coup, while her brother Murtaza was gunned down in the southern city of Karachi in 1996 while she was in office. Zardari was accused of his murder but cleared by the courts.

In a wave of popular support that was generated by Benazir Bhutto’s return and continued after her assassination, the PPP swept to power and Zardari found himself wielding considerable power from the president’s office.

While all the allegations against him were ulti­mately dismissed, and despite overseeing the coun­try’s first transition of power by a civilian govern­ment, Zardari retains a tainted reputation, often going by the nickname “Mr Ten Percent”.

“Zardari believes when the time to cobble together a government arrives they will need... someone like him,” said Khan, the political analyst. “And he will become the kingmaker.” (Reuters)

More For You

Asian-inspired garden earns
five awards at Hampton Court

(From left) Malcolm Anderson (RHS, head of sustainability) Clare Matterson (RHS director general), Lorraine Bishton (Subaru UK and Ireland, managing director) Andrew Ball (director, Big Fish Landscapes) Mike McMahon and Jewlsy Mathews with the medals

Asian-inspired garden earns five awards at Hampton Court

BRITISH Asians are being encouraged to take up gardening by a couple who have won a record five medals at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival.

“It’s a contemporary reimagining of a traditional walled garden, highlighting the British and Irish rainforests,” said Jewlsy Mathews, who was born in Britain of parents from Kerala, a southern Indian state known for its lush vegetation.

Keep ReadingShow less
uk weather

Amber heat health alerts have been issued across several regions of England

iStock

England faces widespread heat alerts and hosepipe bans amid rising temperatures

Highlights:

  • Amber heat health alerts in place for large parts of England
  • Hosepipe bans announced in Yorkshire, Kent and Sussex
  • Temperatures could reach 33°C over the weekend
  • Health risks rise, especially for elderly and vulnerable groups

Heat warnings in effect as UK braces for another hot weekend

Amber heat health alerts have been issued across several regions of England, with temperatures expected to climb to 33°C in some areas over the weekend. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) activated the warning at 12 pm on Friday, with it set to remain in place until 9 am on Monday.

The alerts cover the East Midlands, West Midlands, south-east, south-west, East of England, and London. Additional yellow alerts were issued for the north-east, north-west, and Yorkshire and the Humber, starting from midday Friday.

Keep ReadingShow less
Essex ladybird invasion

One of the largest gatherings was filmed on a beach at Point Clear

Dee-anne Markiewicz / SWNS

Swarms of ladybirds invade Essex coastline amid soaring temperatures

Highlights:

  • Ladybird swarms reported across Essex and Suffolk coastal towns
  • Hot weather likely driving the sudden surge in population
  • Sightings include Point Clear, Shoebury, Clacton and Felixstowe
  • Similar outbreaks occurred in 1976 during another hot UK summer

Sudden surge in ladybird numbers across the southeast

Millions of ladybirds have been spotted swarming towns and villages along the Essex coast, with similar sightings stretching into Suffolk. Residents have reported unusually high numbers of the red and black-spotted insects, particularly near coastal areas, with the recent hot weather believed to be a major contributing factor.

One of the largest gatherings was filmed on a beach at Point Clear, a village near St Osyth in Essex, where the insects could be seen piling on top of each other on driftwood and plants.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kapil Sharma

Kapil Sharma’s Canada cafe shot at days after opening

Instagram/ginnichatrath

Kapil Sharma’s Canadian café targeted in shooting, Khalistani terrorist cites mockery of Nihang Sikhs as motive

Highlights:

  • Shots were fired at Kap’s Café in Surrey, Canada, owned by comedian Kapil Sharma, just days after its opening.
  • Khalistani extremist Harjit Singh Laddi, linked to banned group BKI, claimed responsibility.
  • The motive cited was an old comedy segment from The Kapil Sharma Show that allegedly mocked Nihang Sikhs.
  • No injuries were reported; Canadian authorities are investigating the incident.

Comedian Kapil Sharma’s recently launched Kap’s Café in Surrey, British Columbia, was the target of a shooting in the early hours of 10 July. Though no one was harmed, the property sustained significant damage. A known Khalistani extremist, Harjit Singh Laddi, has claimed responsibility for the attack, citing perceived religious disrespect on The Kapil Sharma Show.

 Kap\u2019s Cafe in Surrey  Kap’s Cafe in Surrey was struck by gunfire late at night with staff still insideInstagram/thekapscafe_

Keep ReadingShow less
Police probe hate crime over migrant effigies bonfire in Northern Ireland

Models depicting migrants wearing life jackets in a small boat alongside two banners reading 'Stop the boats' and 'Veterans before refugees' are displayed on top a bonfire in Moygashel, Northern Ireland, on July 9, 2025. (Photo by PETER MURPHY/AFP via Getty Images)

Police probe hate crime over migrant effigies bonfire in Northern Ireland

POLICE in Northern Ireland have launched a hate crime investigation after a bonfire topped with effigies of migrants in a boat was set alight in the village of Moygashel, County Tyrone.

The incident, which took place on Thursday (10) night, has drawn widespread condemnation from political leaders, church officials, and human rights groups.

Keep ReadingShow less