Why A Marshall Plan, President Zardari?

President Zardari of Pakistan issued today one of his signature statements. "Time and again," he said to an audience of leading citizens of the eastern city of Lahore, "I have been asking the world for a Marshall Plan for Pakistan like the one they had for Europe."

Someone tell President Zardari that a Marshall Plan, where the world chips in, is basically for an occupied country. That's the precedent at least. Those who'll give aid will also meddle in internal affairs. Is he inviting US trusteeship over Pakistan? We know he owes his job to the United States and the United Kingdom. Should he flaunt it, along with his ignorance, like this?

He forgot to add that the world has ignored his ambitious demand 'time and again.'  Which is strange considering he is strongly backed by the governments of the US and UK.

But the question is: Why would the US go for such an expensive option when Mr. Zardari's government had almost surrendered the country to US private defense contractors and pushy US diplomats? They have in Islamabad the government that they lobbied for, without an occupation and a Marshall Plan.

Mr. Zardari's government was tailored by American and British diplomats in late 2006 and early 2007. Some of the shadiest characters Pakistan ever produced were made part of it. That was Washington and London's way of ensuring that Pakistan's charge is in the hands of people they could trust to checkmate the Pakistani military from within . Until a few weeks ago, Washington's envoy in Islamabad was secretly meeting politicians to ask them to support Mr. Zardari in the face of a hostile Pakistani public opinion, judiciary, media and the military.

In two years in power, this Am-Brit democratic dream team is yet to present a single policy proposal on any issue, be it education, culture, sports, economy, you name it.  It gets better with the opposition led by former premier Nawaz Sharif. He has been promised by Richard Holbrooke, and earlier by John Negroponte and Richard Boucher during Bush days, that he'll get his chance in power and that Washington won't oppose. If Mr. Sharif assumes power tomorrow morning, his party doesn't have a clue what it will do next except issue statements for public consumption. Which is what the incumbent Am-Brit dream team is doing.

During a television show over the weekend, I asked low-level party members of major Pakistani parties if they have attended any meeting chaired by their 'leaders' ever since the illustrious return to democracy in 2008 where education, health, culture, energy or any of the things that need planning and vision were discussed.  First they were stunned I asked this question. No one in Pakistan's newspapers, media and politics ever discusses this aspect of our Am-Brit democracy, or the multiple failures of political parties whose leaders have become little more than local representatives of foreign governments, especially US and UK.

It turned out I was right.

Here's an idea for Mr. Zardari and his dream team: Instead of begging the world for more money and a Marshall Plan, how about planning for your own country and people, plan for the economy, for education, health and transportation?

How about leveraging Pakistan's geostrategic position for more gain instead of selling Pakistan cheap, Mr. President?

[Just as a refresher on Mr. Zardari's foreign backers, here is the latest statement from former President Farooq Leghari explaining why President Zardari is a security risk.]