Doubts about Pakistan president's leadership abilities - Laura King

Reporting from Islamabad, Pakistan -- A year ago, Asif Ali Zardari was a political footnote. He was best known as the corruption-tainted, polo-loving husband of Benazir Bhutto, the charismatic former Pakistani prime minister who appeared poised to make a dramatic return to power. Now Zardari, 53, who took over leadership of Bhutto's party after she was assassinated Dec. 27 and became president three months ago, finds himself head of state at a time of extraordinary turmoil, even by Pakistani standards. Stung by Indian accusations that Pakistani militants played a leading role in the Mumbai attacks, the country has responded with an outpouring of nationalistic sentiment. For the moment, that sense of affront is uniting Pakistanis of all political persuasions, but many analysts believe it could eventually backfire on Zardari.

" 'Naive' is the word I would use," said Zafarullah Khan, director of the Center for Civic Education in Islamabad. "He really became president only by accident."

Many believe that Zardari falls far short intellectually of his late wife. At a recent luncheon in Islamabad of former lawmakers and diplomats, an elegant woman delivered what was taken as a devastating verdict: "His English is worse than George Bush's!"

Since the Mumbai crisis erupted, Zardari and his aides have made a series of embarrassing missteps. During the siege, the Pakistani civilian government promised to send spy chief Lt. Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pasha to help with the investigation -- only to be forced to rescind the pledge when the military would have none of it.

The Dawn newspaper reported that Zardari's aides were also tricked by a caller who claimed to be India's foreign minister. When the caller made threats of military action to Zardari, the air force spent nearly 24 hours on highest alert before it was found that it was a hoax.