The United States on Wednesday dismissed Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari's view that the US-backed coalition forces are losing the war in Afghanistan, saying actions taken in the last several months were keeping in mind the hearts and minds of the Afghan people.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari's popularity has dipped to an abysmally low, lower than his predecessor Pervez Musharraf, while cricketer-turned politician Imran Khan has the highest popularity ratings in the country.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has made it clear to Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari that firm action needed to be taken against anti-India terrorism emanating from Pakistan to allow forward movement in the bilateral relationship, Parliament was informed Wednesday.
This came after the beleaguered Zardari was put on notice by the US, which reportedly gave him a 24-hour ultimatum to ease the simmering political crisis in Pakistan amid speculation that a deal brokered by Washington and the UK in consultation with the Pakistan army had been conveyed to the government.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday ordered authorities to take "every possible step" to bring home Dr Khalil Chishti, an ailing 80-year-old scientist who was recently granted bail by the Supreme Court after being given a life sentence in a murder case.
Asked if he would agree to a power-sharing deal with Musharraf, Zardari told a magazine: "It's too early and our wounds are too deep to think of having any working relationship with the ruling party or President Pervez Musharraf."
Pakistani analysts and former diplomats have termed the Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari's visit as a breakthrough and believe that it will positively affect the future relations of Islamabad and New Delhi. Tahir Ali reports.
Pakistan's beleaguered President Asif Ali Zardari, who is facing fresh challenges since the Supreme Court scrapped a graft amnesty that benefited him, has sacrificed hundreds of black goats to ward off the "evil eye" since he moved into the presidency in 2008.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari decided to host a special Diwali dinner for Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on learning that his meeting with the visiting Indian leader coincided with the Hindu festival of lights, officials said on Tuesday.
Amid the tensions between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the Mumbai attacks, Indian High Commissioner Satyabrata Pal attended a dinner hosted by Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari for envoys of the non-Muslim countries in Islamabad.The dinner hosted by Zardari on Saturday night at the Presidential palace was also attended by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.Apart from the Indian High Commissioner, envoys of the United States, China, Britain, Russia were present.
"Pakistan is committed to the pursuit, arrest, trial and punishment of anyone involved in these heinous attacks," says Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari in an oped in the December 8 issue of the New York Times.Cautioning against 'hasty judgments and inflammatory statements', Zardari says that the raids of December 7 in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, which resulted in the arrest of some wanted Lashkar-e-Tayeba terrorists, demonstrates that 'Pakistan will take action.'
Favouring a policy of 'soft borders' for Kashmir, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has said greater contact between the people on the two side will pave the way for a final settlement of the issue.Citing the recent opening of the cross Line of Control trade 'as just one step to bring Kashmiris together', Zardari said this was a crucial move for ushering in peace and prosperity in the whole region.Zardari said his government is moving steadily to find an honourable solution
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday declared that his country will not be the first to use nuclear weapons against India and would work towards opening trade, besides underscoring that Kashmir belonged to the Kashmiri people.
The improving trade ties between Pakistan and India, terrorism and violent anti-US protests were among a host of issues that President Asif Ali Zardari discussed with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton when they met in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session.
The police guard who gunned down Punjab Governor Salman Taseer was assigned to protect key personalities, including Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani. Self-confessed killer Mumtaz Qadri was detailed on protection duties on as many as 509 occasions in the past three years, including for United States delegations, which are prime targets for terrorists.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardrai on Tuesday appointed his close aide Muhammad Latif Khosa as the new Governor of Punjab province to succeed the slain Pakistan Peoples Party leader Salman Taseer.
'Let us be truthful to ourselves and make a candid admission of the realities. Militancy and extremism emerged on the national scene and challenged the state not because the civil bureaucracy was weakened and demoralised, but because they were deliberately created and nurtured as a policy to achieve some short-term tactical objectives,' The Daily Times quoted Zardari, as saying.
Pakistan appears to be reconciled to a long haul in clinching a civil nuclear deal with the US with President Asif Ali Zardari today saying it took nine years for India to secure an atomic pact with Washington.
Pakistan was headed for a political crisis late Wednesday night with uncertainty surrounding Asif Ali Zardari continuing as president after the Supreme Court scrapped an Ordinance under which he and several other prominent politicians had been granted immunity from prosecution in corruption cases.
With the Supreme Court upholding the death sentence on the Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab, India's case for action against others involved in the Mumbai terror attacks got strengthened ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's meeting with President Asif Ali Zardari in Teheran on Tuesday.
Official sources said the USD 10 million US bounty for Saeed necessitated the late night meeting of the top civil and military leadership at the Governor's House in Lahore
Ahead of Asif Ali Zardari's pilgrimage to the shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray on nThursday took a dig at the Pakistan President, wondering how could the prayers of those who have an "evil eye" on India could be answered.
The Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has acknowledged that the Taliban, with whom his government reached a truce deal in the restive Swat valley days ago, are "murderous thugs and militants" who "pose a danger to Pakistan, the United States and India".
The religious head of the Ajmer dargah on Sunday announced he will boycott the visit of Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari to protest the move of district authorities of not allowing him to go inside the shrine beyond the main gate when the visiting delegation arrives.
From mouth-watering kebabs to delicious biryani, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari will get a taste of India's diverse cuisine as he settles down for lunch with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday.
Amid reports of a rift between them, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani met in Islamabad on Wednesday to discuss the regional security situation after the country's admission that captured Mumbai attacker Ajmal Amir Kasab is its national. The meeting came amid Pakistani media reports that Zardari was angry over Gilani's decision to sack Durrani without consulting him. Durrani had been handpicked by Zardari for the key post last year.
All is not well between Pakistan's top two leaders with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani taking exception to "increasing interference" by President Asif Ali Zardari in the day-to-day running of the government, a media report said today.
Rubbishing reports that he had made a threatening phone call to Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari after Mumbai strikes, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee today regretted Islamabad giving credibility to a "hoax" call and said it was a bid to divert attention from the fact that Pakistani elements had launched "attack on India".
Asif Ali Zardari, who is undergoing treatment in Dubai for heart complications, would need two weeks of rest before returning home, Pakistan Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani has said, dismissing rumours about a "quiet coup" and the President's offer to resign.
Pakistan Supreme Court's historic judgement declaring the 2007 emergency as "unconstitutional" has put President Asif Ali Zardari in a fix as part of its ruling the apex court has struck down the National Reconciliation Ordinance.
Former military ruler Pervez Musharraf has denied allegations about his involvement in the assassination of ex-premier Benazir Bhutto, saying President Asif Ali Zardari knows who killed her. Reacting to remarks made by Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Wednesday during a briefing on the assassination in the Sindh Assembly, Musharraf told TV news channels that the security of political leaders was the responsibility of provincial governments and not the federal government.
President Asif Ali Zardari enjoys full immunity from prosecution in criminal cases in Pakistan and abroad, one of the country's top lawyers said on Wednesday ahead of a crucial hearing in the Supreme Court on the issue of reopening graft cases against the president.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has said that India is not a threat to Pakistan and it is facing danger from the terrorists inside the country. This is the first time a top Pakistani leader has publicly said that India is not a threat to his country; a fact which the Barack Obama administration has been trying to convince Zardari and the Pakistan army for quite some time now. "I have always considered India as a neighbour, which we want to improve our relationship with."
President Asif Ali Zardari, who was treated for a heart condition in Dubai, could return to Pakistan late on Sunday night, according to a media report.
Asif Ali Zardari, currently being treated for heart complications in Dubai, will need several weeks to be fit and resume his duties, one of his close aides said on, while acknowledging that "immense pressure" on the Pakistan President could be the reason for his condition.
Zardari assumes Pakistan's presidency at a time when the very survival of the nation is at stake. There is nothing in his past to suggest that he will be successful in overcoming the challenges that Pakistan faces and there is every likelihood that a fresh round of political instability is just round the corner. India should hope for the best but get ready to face the worst in Pakistan in the coming months.
Amid main opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz's demand that Pervez Musharraf be tried for treason, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has said the fate of the former military ruler will be decided by the people and Parliament and ruled out using his powers on "frivolous issues of the past".
Pakistan People's Party co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari has categorically said that Yousuf Raza Gilani will be the country's new prime minister for five years and not for three months. Zardari said that he himself is not interested in the job, as is being implied. Local daily The News quoted him as saying that Gilani slept in Adiyala jail without any proper bed for three months but he never contacted his powerful friends and influential relatives for help.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has instructed the Pakistan Cricket Board to provide all necessary legal help to the tainted trio.
Asif Ali Zardari is set to create a record by becoming the first president to address a joint session of both houses of Pakistan's parliament for a sixth time, though he will be doing so at a time when his party is no longer in power.