How Zardari orchestrated Musharraf’s resignation: A look inside Pakistan’s 2008 power shift
New book reveals behind-the-scenes negotiations, military involvement, and coalition tensions during a key transition in 2008 that involves Pakistan’s current president, Asif Ali Zardari,
Pakistan’s current president, Asif Ali Zardari, began his first term in 2008 with a significant political move — orchestrating the resignation of former military ruler Pervez Musharraf. A new book by Zardari’s former spokesperson, Farhatullah Babar, sheds light on how this was achieved through a mix of military understanding, coalition strategy, and behind-the-scenes pressure.
The account, detailed in The Zardari Presidency and cited by The News, outlines how events unfolded after the 2008 general elections. Zardari’s Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) had formed a coalition government with Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), with both parties agreeing on the need to remove Musharraf. However, it was Zardari who made the first critical move.
According to the book, Zardari reached out to Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, who had succeeded Musharraf in late 2007. Kayani did not oppose the plan to oust Musharraf and even proposed a possible presidential candidate from the PPP. But Zardari had his own sights set on the presidency.
With the military unlikely to intervene, Zardari instructed his party to begin impeachment proceedings in provincial assemblies. Through retired Major General Mahmud Ali Durrani, a message was conveyed to Musharraf: step down voluntarily or face impeachment.
Though Musharraf initially resisted, the growing political and institutional pressure led to his resignation in mid-August 2008.
The book also notes a brief conversation between Nawaz Sharif and Zardari, where Sharif mentioned that his party wanted him to become president. Zardari replied, “My party wants me to be president too,” and the discussion ended there. By September, Zardari had assumed office.
Another chapter of this transition involved the issue of reinstating Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, who had been removed during Musharraf’s rule. Zardari opposed Chaudhry’s return, facing pressure from both cabinet members and the military. During the lawyers’ Long March, the army’s 111 Brigade was deployed near the Presidential Palace in Rawalpindi, prompting fears of a coup. However, the book suggests this was more a tactic to apply pressure than a genuine threat.
Zardari is said to have viewed Chaudhry as being primarily focused on personal reinstatement rather than systemic reform, and delayed his return to the judiciary.
These insights provide a close look at a pivotal political transition in Pakistan’s recent history — one driven by strategic alliances, institutional power plays, and careful negotiations.
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