‘The Rumors about Zardari are Absurd’: An Interview with PPP Official Matloob Warraich

In the last 12 months, events in Pakistan have developed at a frenetic pace. In October 2007, Benazir Bhutto returned to her homeland following years of exile and was greeted as a savior by millions of followers. Just two months later, in December, she was assassinated in an attack whose authors have still not been identified. Shortly after that, the political decline and fall of her rival Pervez Musharraf began. First the general lost the parliamentary elections, then his post as head of the army, and finally the presidency itself. Earlier this month, the widower of Benazir Bhutto, Asif Ali Zardari, was sworn in as Pakistan's new president. Zardari is one of the most controversial figures in Pakistan. His name has been connected to charges of corruption, murder, and nepotism.

Matloob Warraich was for many years an adviser to Benazir Bhutto and is part of Zardari's inner circle. He spoke with the Swiss weekly Die Weltwoche about Pakistan's new strongman and the accusations against him.