Where is asif ali zardari today

President asif ali zardari Retrieved 26 September Patterson , who pushed for a pact with Musharraf. Retrieved 6 June In November , Bhutto's government was dismissed by Leghari primarily because of corruption and Murtaza's death.

Asif Ali Zardari

President of Pakistan (&#;; since )

Asif Ali Zardari[a] (born 26 July ) is a Pakistani politician who became the 14th president of Pakistan on 10 March , having held the same office from to He is the president of Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians and was the co-chairperson of Pakistan People's Party from December until December [3]

He earlier served as the 11th president of Pakistan from to , the first president born after Independence.

He is the widower of twice-elected Prime Minister of PakistanBenazir Bhutto. He was a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from to , and in

The son of Hakim Ali Zardari, a landowner from Sindh, Zardari rose to prominence after his marriage to Benazir Bhutto in , who became the Prime Minister of Pakistan after her election in When Bhutto's government was dismissed by President Ghulam Ishaq Khan in , Zardari was widely criticized for involvement in corruption scandals that led to its collapse.[4][5] When Bhutto was reelected in , Zardari served as Federal Investment Minister and Chairperson of Pakistan Environmental Protection Council.

There were increasing tensions between Bhutto's brother Murtaza and Zardari, and Murtaza was killed by police in Karachi on 20 September [6][7] Bhutto's government was dismissed a month later by President Farooq Leghari, and Zardari was arrested and indicted for Murtaza's murder and for corruption.[8][9]

Although incarcerated, he nominally served in Parliament after being elected to the National Assembly in and Senate in He was released from jail in and went into self-exile to Dubai, but returned when Bhutto was assassinated on 27 December As the new co-chairman of the PPP, he led his party to victory in the general elections.

He spearheaded a coalition that forced military rulerPervez Musharraf to resign, and was elected president on 6 September He was acquitted of various criminal charges the same year.[10][6]

As president, Zardari remained a strong American ally in the war in Afghanistan, despite prevalent public disapproval of the United States following the Raymond Davis incident and the NATO attack in Salala in Domestically, Zardari achieved the passage of the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution in , which constitutionally reduced his presidential powers.

Asif ali In May , he was hospitalised after an alleged attempted suicide. Bhutto called for the removal of the chief investigator of the attacks because she claimed he had been involved in Zardari's alleged torture in prison in He bought a acre hectare bedroom luxury estate in Rockwood, Surrey in through a chain of firms, trusts, and offshore companies in Archived from the original on 29 May

His attempt to prevent the reinstatement of Supreme Court judges failed in the face of massive protests led by his political rival Nawaz Sharif. The restored Supreme Court dismissed the PPP's elected Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani for contempt of court in after Gillani refused to write to the Government of Switzerland to reopen corruption cases against Zardari.

Zardari's tenure was also criticised for mishandling nationwide floods in , and growing terrorist violence. Following multiple bombings of Hazaras in Quetta in early , Zardari dismissed his provincial government in Balochistan.

Towards the end of his term, Zardari recorded abysmally low approval ratings, ranging from 11 to 14%.[11][12] After the PPP was heavily defeated in the general election, Zardari became the country's first elected president to complete his constitutional term on 9 September [13] His legacy remains divisive, with political observers accusing his administration of corruption and cronyism.[14][15] However, he became president of Pakistan again in March due to a coalition agreement which was reached following the Pakistani general election.[16]

Early life and education

Zardari was born on 26 July in Karachi, Sindh to a prominent Sindhi family, and received his upbringing and education in Karachi.[17][18] He belongs to the Zardari family and is the only son of Hakim Ali Zardari, a tribal chief and prominent landowner, and Bilquis Sultana Zardari.[19][20] His paternal grandmother was of Iraqi descent,[21] while his mother was the granddaughter of Hassan Ali Effendi, a Sindhi educationist who is known as the founder of the Sindh Madressatul Islam.[22][23][24]

In his youth, he led a polo team known as the Zardari Four[25] and pracised boxing.[26] His father owned Bambino[27]—a famous cinema in Karachi—and donated movie equipment to his school.[26] He appeared in a movie, Salgira, as a child.[28] Zardari's academic background remains a question mark.[26] He received his primary education from Karachi Grammar School.

His official biography says he graduated from Cadet College, Petaro in [26] He went to St Patrick's High School, Karachi from to ; a school clerk says he failed his final examination there.[26] In March , he claimed he had graduated from the London School of Business Studies with a bachelor of education degree in the early s.[27] Zardari's official biography states he also attended Pedinton School in Britain.[26][27][30] His British education, however, has not been confirmed, and a search did not turn up any Pedinton School in London.[26][27][30] The issue of his diploma was contentious because a rule required candidates for Parliament to hold a college degree,[27] but the rule was overturned by Pakistan's Supreme Court in April [26][30]

Career

Early political career and Benazir Bhutto era

Zardari's initial political career was unsuccessful.

In , he lost an election for a district council seat in Nawabshah, a city of Sindh, where his family owned thousands of acres of farmland.[26] He then went into real estate.[26]

He married Benazir Bhutto on 18 December [31][32] The marriage, which had been arranged, as is customary in Pakistan, was initially described as an unlikely match.[31][32] The lavish sunset ceremony in Karachi was followed by immense night celebrations that included over , people.[31][32] The marriage enhanced Bhutto's political position in a country where older unmarried women are frowned upon.[31][32] Zardari deferred to his wife's wishes by agreeing to stay out of politics.[32]

In , General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq died when his plane exploded in midair.[33] A few months later, Bhutto became Pakistan's first female prime minister when her party won 94 of seats contested in the elections.[34]

Involvement in the first Bhutto Administration and first imprisonment

See also: Corruption charges against Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari

He generally stayed out of his wife's first administration, but he and his associates became entangled in corruption cases linked to the government.[4] He was largely blamed for the collapse of the Bhutto administration.[5]

After the dismissal of Bhutto's government in August ,[35] Benazir Bhutto and Zardari were prohibited from leaving the country by security forces under the direction of the Pakistan Army.[36] During the interim government between August and October, caretaker prime minister Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi, a Bhutto rival, initiated investigations of corruption by the Bhutto administration.[37] Jatoi accused Zardari of using his wife's political position to charge a ten percent commission for obtaining permission to set up any project or to receive loans.[37] He was tagged with the nickname "Mr.

Ten Percent".[26]

He was arrested on 10 October on charges relating to kidnapping and extortion.[35][38] The charges alleged an extortion scheme that involved tying a supposed bomb to a British businessman's leg.[26] The Bhutto family considered the indictment politically motivated and fabricated.[38] In the October elections, he was elected to the National Assembly while in jail.[39] Bhutto and the PPP staged a walkout from the inaugural session of the National Assembly to protest Zardari's incarceration.[39] He posted $20, bail, but his release was blocked by a government ordinance that removed a court's power to release suspects being tried in the terrorist court, which fast-track trials for alleged terrorists.[5] The ordinance was later revoked and a special court acquitted him of bank fraud and conspiracy to murder political opponents.[5] He was freed in February [5] In March , Zardari was acquitted of bank fraud charges.[40] All other corruption charges relating to Bhutto's first term were dropped or thrown out of the courts.[41]

On 25 March , the hijackers aboard Singapore Airlines Flight demanded Zardari's release among other demands.

Asif ali zardari born Archived from the original on 29 June The couple had three children, two daughters, Asifa and Bakhtawar, and one son Bilawal. Postmedia News. Archived from the original on 27 September

The hijackers were killed by Singapore Commandos.[42]

Political involvement in the second Bhutto Administration

In April , he became one of the 18 cabinet ministers in the caretaker government that succeeded Nawaz Sharif's first abridged premiership.[43] The caretaker government lasted until the July elections.[43] After Bhutto's election, he served as her Investment Minister,[41][44] chief of the intelligence bureau,[41] and the head of the Federal Investigation Agency.[41] In February , Benazir sent Zardari to meet with Saddam Hussein in Iraq to deliver medicine in exchange for three detained Pakistanis arrested on the ambiguous Kuwait-Iraq border.[45] In April , Zardari denied allegations that he was wielding unregulated influence as a spouse and acting as "de-facto Prime Minister".[46][47] In March , he was appointed chairman of the new Environment Protection Council.[48][49]

During the beginning of the second Bhutto Administration, a Bhutto family feud between Benazir and her mother, Nusrat Bhutto, surfaced over the political future of Murtaza Bhutto, Nusrat's son and Benazir's younger brother.[50] Benazir thanked Zardari for his support.[50] In September , Murtaza and seven others died in a shootout with police in Karachi, while the city was undergoing a three-year civil war.[51][52] At Murtaza's funeral, Nusrat accused Benazir and Zardari of being responsible and vowed to pursue prosecution.[41][51]Ghinwa Bhutto, Murtaza's widow, also accused Zardari of being behind his killing.[41][53] President Farooq Leghari, who would dismiss the Bhutto government seven weeks after Murtaza's death, also suspected Benazir and Zardari's involvement.[41] Several of Pakistan's leading newspapers alleged that Zardari wanted his brother-in-law out of the way because of Murtaza's activities as head of a breakaway faction of the PPP.[41]

In November , Bhutto's government was dismissed by Leghari primarily because of corruption and Murtaza's death.[41] Zardari was arrested in Lahore while attempting to flee the country to Dubai.[41][52]

Jail and exile

The New York Times report

A major report was published in January by The New York Times detailing Zardari's vast corruption and misuse of public funds.[54] The report discussed $ million in kickbacks to Zardari and a Pakistani partner for a $4 billion contract with French military contractor Dassault Aviation, in a deal that fell apart only when the Bhutto government was dismissed.[54] It contained details of two payments of $5 million each by a gold bullion dealer in return for a monopoly on gold imports.[54] It had information from Pakistani investigators that the Bhutto family had allegedly accrued more than $ billion in illicit profits through kickbacks in virtually every sphere of government activity.[54] It also reported Zardari's mids spending spree, which included hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on jewellery.[54] The arrangements made by the Bhutto family for their wealth relied on Western property companies, Western lawyers, and a network of Western friends.[54] The report described how Zardari had arranged secret contracts, painstaking negotiations, and the dismissal of anyone who objected to his dealings.[54]

Citibank, already under fire for its private-banking practices, got into further trouble as a result of the report.[55] Zardari's financial history was one case study in a U.S.

Senate report on vulnerabilities in banking procedures.[56]

Second imprisonment and conviction

In March , Zardari was elected to the Senate while in a Karachi jail.[57][58] In December , he was flown to Islamabad under tight security to take his oath.[57]

In July , he was indicted for corruption in Pakistan after the Swiss government handed over documents to Pakistani authorities relating to money laundering.[59] The Swiss had also indicted him for money laundering.[59] At the same time, in a separate case, he and 18 others were indicted for conspiracy to murder Murtaza Bhutto.[60] After criminal prosecutions began, Citibank closed Zardari's account.[55]

In April , Bhutto and Zardari were convicted for receiving indemnities from a Swiss goods inspection company that was hired to end corruption in the collection of customs duties.[61] The couple received a fine of $ million.[61][62] Both were also sentenced to five years imprisonment, but Bhutto could not be extradited back to Pakistan from her self-imposed exile.[61][62] Zardari was already in jail awaiting trial on separate charges.[61][62] The evidence used against them had been gathered by Swiss investigators and the Pakistani Bureau of Accountability.[61][63]

In May , he was hospitalised after an alleged attempted suicide.[64] He claimed it was a murder attempt by the police.[64]

In August , a Swiss judge convicted Bhutto and Zardari of money laundering and sentenced them to six months imprisonment and a fine of $50,[65] In addition, they were required to return $11 million to the Pakistani government.[65] The conviction involved charges relating to kickbacks from two Swiss firms in exchange for customs fraud.[66] In France, Poland, and Switzerland, the couple faced additional allegations.[67]

In November , he was released on bail by court order.[68][69][70] A month later, he was unexpectedly arrested for failing to show up for a hearing on a murder case in Islamabad.[68][69][70] He was placed under house arrest in Karachi.[68][70] A day later, he was released on $5, bail.[68][69] His release, rearrest, and then release again was regarded as a sign of growing reconciliation between Musharraf's government and the PPP.[68][69] After his second release in late , he left for exile in Dubai.[26][71]

Exile and legal problems

He returned to Lahore in April [71][72][73]Police prevented him from holding rallies by escorting him from the airport to his home.[71][72][73] He criticised Pervez Musharraf's government, but rumours of reconciliation between Musharraf and the PPP grew.[72][73] Zardari went back to Dubai in May [74][75]

In June , he had a heart attack and was treated in the United Arab Emirates.[74][75] A PPP spokesman stated he underwent angioplasty in the United States.[75] In September , he did not show up for a Rawalpindi hearing on corruption charges; the court issued an arrest warrant.[75] His lawyers stated he could not come because he was recovering from his treatment.[75] Following a request by the Rawalpindi court, Interpol issued a red notice in January against the couple which called on member nations to decide on the couple's extradition.[76][77]

When Bhutto announced in September her upcoming return to Pakistan, her husband was in New York City undergoing medical treatment.[78] After the October bombing in Karachi that tainted Bhutto's return, he accused Pakistani intelligence services of being behind the attacks and claimed "it was not done by militants".[79][80] He had not accompanied Bhutto, staying in Dubai with their daughters.

Bhutto called for the removal of the chief investigator of the attacks because she claimed he had been involved in Zardari's alleged torture in prison in [81]

In November , Musharraf instituted emergency rule for six weeks (see Pakistani state of emergency, ),[82] under the pretext of rising Islamist militancy, a few days after Bhutto's departure for Dubai to meet with Zardari.[83][84] Immediately after the state of emergency was invoked, Bhutto returned to Pakistan, while Zardari again stayed behind in Dubai.[83][85] Emergency rule was initiated right before the Supreme Court of Pakistan began deliberations on the legality of Musharraf's U.S.-backed proposal—the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO)—to drop corruption charges against Bhutto and Zardari in return for a joint Bhutto-Musharraf coalition to govern Pakistan.[83][84] Bhutto and Zardari sympathised with Pervez Musharraf on his feud with the Supreme Court, but simultaneously criticised the imposition of martial law.[83][84][85] Before the Supreme Court could issue a decision, Musharraf replaced its members with his supporters.[83][84]

In the midst of his exile, Zardari had several different legal problems.

In Pakistan, Musharraf granted him amnesty for his alleged offences through the National Reconciliation Ordinance, drafted in October [66] However, the ordinance faced mounting public pressure and an uncompromising judiciary.[66] In addition, it only dealt with charges up to [66] This left open the possibility of investigations into his alleged involvement in about $2 million in illegal kickbacks to Saddam Hussein, discovered in October , under the oil-for-food program.[66] If the ordinance was rescinded, he would have had to deal with charges relating to evading duties on an armoured BMW, commissions from a Polish tractor manufacturer, and a kickback from a gold bullion dealer.[66] In Switzerland, Bhutto and Zardari appealed the Swiss conviction, which required the reopening of the case in October [66] In November , Swiss authorities returned the frozen $60 million to him through offshore companies because of the National Reconciliation Ordinance.[86] In Spain, a criminal investigation was opened over the money laundering for the oil-for-food program because of the illicit profits handled through Spanish firms.[66] In Britain, he was fighting a civil case against the Pakistani government for the proceeds from the liquidation sale of a Surrey mansion.[66] He successfully used his medical diagnosis to postpone a verdict on his British manor trial.[87][88][89]

In exile, he shifted between homes in New York, London, and Dubai, where his three children lived.[26]

On the night of 27 December , he returned to Pakistan following his wife's assassination.[90]

Co-chairperson of the PPP

Bhutto's assassination and succession

Main article: Assassination of Benazir Bhutto

Zardari prevented Bhutto's autopsy in accordance with Islamic principles.[91][92] He and their children attended her funeral, which was held the next day.[93] He denied government allegations that the assassination was sponsored by Al-Qaida.[91][94] He called for an international inquiry into her death and stated that she would still be alive if Musharraf's government had provided adequate protection.[92][95][96] He and his family offered to accept Musharraf's demand to exhume Bhutto's body in exchange for a United Nations inquiry, but Musharraf rejected the proposal.[97]

In Bhutto's political will, she had designated Zardari her successor as party leader.[91][94][98] However, their nineteen-year-old son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, became Chairman of the PPP because Zardari favoured Bilawal to represent Bhutto's legacy, in part to avoid division within the party due to his own unpopularity.[91][94][99] He did, however, serve as co-chairman of the PPP for at least three years until Bilawal completed his studies overseas.[91][98][99]

February parliamentary elections and coalition formation

Main article: Pakistani general election

Zardari called for no delays to the 8 January parliamentary elections and for the participation of all opposition parties.[91] Other major political parties quickly agreed to participate, ending any chance of a boycott.[91][92] Because of the turmoil after the Bhutto assassination, the elections were postponed six weeks to 18 February.[92][] In January , he suggested that if his party did win a majority, it might form a coalition with Musharraf's Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q).[][] He and Nawaz Sharif, leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (N) party (PML-N), threatened national protests if any vote-rigging was attempted.[][] He himself could not run for Parliament because he had not filed election papers in November , back when he had no foreseeable political ambition while Bhutto was alive.[]

The PPP and the PML-N won the largest and second largest number of seats respectively in the February elections.[][] He and Sharif agreed to form a coalition government, ending American hopes of a power-sharing deal between him and Musharraf.[][] They agreed to restore the judiciary, but Zardari took a less stringent stance than Sharif.[][] He met with U.S.

ambassador Anne W. Patterson, who pushed for a pact with Musharraf.[] To strengthen the new coalition, he reached out to Awami National Party, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, and Baloch nationalist leaders, who had all boycotted the elections.[][]

After weeks of speculation and party infighting, he said he did not want to become prime minister.[][][] In mid-March , he chose Yousaf Raza Gillani for prime minister in a snub to the more politically powerful Makhdoom Amin Fahim.[]

coalition government

See also: Movement to impeach Pervez Musharraf

He and Sharif agreed in a 9 March agreement, known as the Murree Declaration, to the reinstatement by 30 April of 60 judges previously sacked by Musharraf.[][] The deadline was later extended to 12 May.[] He and Sharif held unsuccessful talks at London in May.[][] After the coalition failed to restore the judiciary, the PML-N withdrew from the government in mid-May, pulling its ministers out of the cabinet.[][][][][] The coalition regrouped, again with the PML-N, and proposed a constitutional amendment that would remove the power of the President to dismiss Parliament.[][][] By late May, the coalition was set in a confrontation with Musharraf.[][] At the same time, the government was successful in getting Pakistan readmitted to the Commonwealth.[]

He and Sharif met in Lahore in June to discuss Musharraf's removal and the constitutional amendments, which the PML-N viewed as not going far enough to fulfill the Murree declaration.[][] He opposed impeachment calls because he claimed the coalition did not have the two-thirds majority in both legislative bodies—National Assembly and Senate.[][] He was unwilling to restore the judiciary as divisions in the coalition grew and popular sentiment shifted towards Sharif.[][] The coalition criticised the government for barring Sharif from competing in the June by-elections.[][][] Because of the impasses over Musharraf and the judiciary, the coalition could not address rising food shortages and spiraling inflation, which was the highest in 30 years.[]

In August , Zardari relented, and the coalition agreed to proceed full speed towards Musharraf's impeachment by drafting a charge-sheet against him.[][] The coalition charged him with high treason for the coup and the imposition of martial law.[] He warned Musharraf against dismissing Parliament, and the coalition selected Gillani instead of Musharraf to represent Pakistan at the Beijing Olympics.[][] On 18 August, Musharraf resigned in order to avoid impeachment.[][][][] Although Zardari favoured granting Musharraf immunity from prosecution, the coalition could not agree on a decision.[][][] The coalition also could not reach a united stance on the future of the judiciary.[][][][]

Main article: Pakistani presidential election

Presidential elections were held within three weeks after the departure of Musharraf.[] Zardari vowed to pursue an unpopular campaign against tribal militancy in Pakistan and had the support of the United States.[][][] He claimed he had a London business school degree to satisfy a prerequisite for the presidency, but his party did not produce a certificate.[] He was endorsed by the PPP and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) for the presidency.[] The PML-N nominated former justice Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddiqui, while the PML-Q put forth Mushahid Hussain Sayed.[][] Zardari won a majority in the Electoral College with of votes.[b][][][][] He was elected president on 6 September [c][][]

Initial days

At the inauguration on 9 September , Afghan President Hamid Karzai was a guest of honour, which was a signal for much closer cooperation between the two nations in addressing the tribal insurgency along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.[][] After the election, Zardari promised to approve the constitutional provision that removed the President's power to dismiss Parliament, but public scepticism remained on whether he would actually carry out his promise.[] His economic competence was questioned after allegations that he had raised grain procurement prices through inflationary subsidies and scrapped the capital gains tax.[] His first parliamentary speech was overshadowed by 20 September Islamabad Marriott Hotel bombing.[][][] A few days later, he went to the United Nations Headquarters in New York City on his first overseas trip as president.[]

United Nations visit

See also: Pakistan and the United Nations

From 23 to 26 September , he met with various foreign leaders, including U.S.

President George W. Bush and Chinese President Hu Jintao.[][][] He suffered political embarrassment by flirting with U.S. vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and making tongue-in-cheek comments about her.[][][][] Although, at the United Nations General Assembly, he publicly condemned U.S drone attacks in Pakistan,[]The Washington Post reported that he had signed a "secret deal" when he met with senior American officials that arranged for the coordination of Predator strikes and a jointly approved list of prominent targets.[][] He and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh agreed to resume peace talks by the end of []

Economic crises

See also: Periods of stagflation in Pakistan

From 14 to 17 October , he was in China[][] to negotiate foreign aid, as Pakistan faced the possibility of defaulting on its payments.[] China refused to offer any aid commitments, but instead promised to provide assistance in the development of two nuclear power plants and more future business investments.[][]

After Saudi Arabia, Britain, China, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates refused to provide any bailout,[] he officially asked the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for assistance in solving Pakistan's balance of payments problem on 22 October.[]

He went to Saudi Arabia from 4 to 6 November in hopes of obtaining financial aid and securing trade agreements.[][] However, leaked cables revealed increasingly strained relations between Zardari and Saudi royalty, primarily because of Saudi distrust of Zardari and preference for Sharif.[][][] Weaker cooperation led to decreased oil subsidies as part of a broader Saudi policy of withholding monetary assistance.[][]

In mid-November , Zardari's government officially sent a letter of intent to the IMF regarding a bailout to help increase its foreign exchange reserves.[] In a $ billion multi-year loan package, Pakistan received a $ billion loan for –[][] The IMF stipulated stringent reform conditions, which included rebuilding the tax structure and privatising state enterprises.[] The World Bank and Asian Development Bank withheld a combined $3 billion aid in the –11 fiscal year and the IMF withheld since May the last segment of its aid package.[]

In January , the MQM withdrew from the government.[][] Zardari's ruling coalition averted a government collapse by accepting the opposition's economic proposals, which restored gas subsidies and abandoned many of the IMF's suggested reforms.[d][]

In an effort to curb government expenditures, Zardari swore in an "austerity cabinet" in February which reduced the cabinet from 60 ministers to [] Asif Zardari is famously known as "Mr.

Ten (10) percent" in the Pakistan's political landscape, as he is alleged to demand 10% as kickbacks for the government contracts.[][][]

Foreign policy

Relationship with India

See also: Indo-Pakistani relations

In early October , he received fierce domestic criticism for repeatedly calling Kashmiri nationalists (see Kashmir conflict) in India "terrorists".[][] In mid-November , he suggested Pakistan was ready for a no-first-usenuclear policy and called for closer economic ties.[][]

The relationship between the two nations was damaged by the November Mumbai attacks.

Bilawal bhutto zardari The parliamentary lower house National Assembly has seats. You can help Wikipedia by adding to it. China Daily. Retrieved 13 June

He initially denied any links between the perpetrators and Pakistan,[] but the government soon pursued military action against Lashkar-e-Taiba leaders in a 7 December raid.[][] India cleared Zardari's government of any direct involvement in the attacks, but simultaneously demanded the extradition of 20 Pakistanis which it alleged had taken part in them.[] Zardari offered to send Inter-Services IntelligenceDirector-GeneralAhmed Shuja Pasha to assist in the investigation.[]

In June , Zardari met Singh for the first time since the Mumbai attacks at a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Yekaterinburg, Russia.[]

On 8 April , President Zardari, along with his son Bilawal Zardari Bhutto, visited Dargah Sharif in Ajmer, India on a private visit.

He also met with the Indian prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh.[][]

War in Afghanistan

See also: Afghanistan–Pakistan relations

The government has had a longstanding conflict in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistani regions bordering Afghanistan.

Diplomatic relations with Afghan President Hamid Karzai improved after Musharraf's departure and Zardari's rise to power.[] The Obama administration's AfPak policy, through AfPak envoy Richard Holbrooke, reflected the unified approach the United States took in dealing with Afghanistan and Pakistan.[]

In his first visit to Afghanistan as president in early January , Zardari promised a renewed relationship to improve cooperation.[][] In late March, Obama announced a civilian aid package of $ billion over five years in return for cooperation in the AfPak conflict.[][][] In late April, British prime minister Gordon Brown visited Zardari and promised $1 billion over the next four years.[] In May, Obama held a trilateral summit in Washington D.C., with Karzai and Zardari, where they discussed further cooperation.[] At Brussels in mid-June, Zardari unsuccessfully sought trade concessions from the European Union; it instead pledged $90 million development aid to curtail tribal influence by insurgents.[][][] After the