<p>In a golden moment in Pakistan's chequered 66-year political history, President Asif Ali Zardari today left the presidency after successfully completing his five-year term, paving the way for India-born Mamnoon Hussain to take over.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Zardari is the first elected President to complete his constitutional tenure and to be replaced by an elected individual in Pakistan's history that has witnessed numerous military coups.<br /><br />He was given a guard of honour, which was not attended by either the Prime Minister or the three service chiefs.<br /><br />However, Sharif had hosted an official farewell lunch for Zardari earlier this week and praised him for keeping the flag of democracy flying in the country.<br /><br />Zardari, 58, left for Lahore where he is expected to spend his days working on the revival of his Pakistan Peoples Party which was dealt a crushing defeat in the May 11 general election.<br /><br />Husband of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, Zardari had a controversial term but was able to keep democracy on track.<br /><br />Zardari, as President, remained in the eye of storm for holding dual office and faced allegations of using the President's house for partisan politics and ignoring key issues facing the country.<br /><br />He faced a strong and assertive judiciary which pursued him over multi-million-dollar corruption cases against him in Switzerland.<br /><br />The casualty of the struggle was then Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, who was sacked for refusing to ask Switzerland to reopen the cases.<br /><br />Another big crisis for him was the 'Memogate scandal' and also the unilateral US operation in May, 2011, in the garrison city of Abbottabad that killed al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.<br /><br />While the President's post is largely ceremonial, Zardari, as the chief of the then-ruling PPP, played an active role in the functioning of the government.<br /><br />However, he later had to give up the party post after pressure from the judiciary.<br />His detractors blame him for the weak economic and security scenario of the country. <br /><br />However, Zardari's supporters hail him for taking steps to strengthen democracy and for being the person who made possible the transition of power from one civilian government to another.<br /><br />They cite passage of important pieces of legislation, including laws empowering women against domestic violence and sexual harassment, as his achievements.<br />They also cite the passage of 18th Amendment as a major achievement of Zardari, pointing out that he voluntarily surrendered his vast power to strengthen parliamentary democracy.<br /><br />Speaking at a dinner for the staff of President's House last night‚ the President said he is glad to leave his office with dignity and honour on completion of his term.<br /><br />Zardari said that he always took decisions in the interests of the country, adding he devolved powers to the Parliament voluntarily.<br /><br />He came to centre stage after his marriage with Benazir Bhutto in 1987. Between 1993 and 1996, he held various cabinet positions in the second Benazir-led government.<br />Zardari was arrested on charges of corruption in late 1996.<br /><br />He was released from jail in 2004 and went into self-exile in Dubai, but returned home in December 2007 following Bhutto's assassination.<br /><br />Zardari came only after the promulgation of the controversial National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) by then military ruler General Pervez Musharraf.<br /><br />The NRO granted amnesty to politicians, political workers and bureaucrats who were accused of corruption, embezzlement, money laundering, murder, and terrorism between January 1 1986, and October 12 1999, the time between two states of martial law in Pakistan.<br /><br />It was declared unconstitutional by Pakistan's Supreme Court on December 16 2009, throwing the country into a political crisis.<br /><br />While Zardari stepped down, the new Pakistani President would be sworn in tomorrow.<br />Replacing Zardari would be Hussain, who had emerged as a clear winner in the one-sided contest with ex-judge Wajihuddin Ahmad of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf party.<br /><br />Born in the historic city of Agra, Hussain, who belongs to an Urdu-speaking ethnic group that migrated from India during partition in 1947, was the PML-N government's candidate.<br />He comes at a time when the government is framing a new counter-terrorism policy.<br />Among the many decisions that he will take once he assumes office, the controversial one would be the subject of lifting the moratorium on hanging in Pakistan.<br /><br />While Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif wanted to lift the moratorium, Zardari wanted it to continue.</p>
<p>In a golden moment in Pakistan's chequered 66-year political history, President Asif Ali Zardari today left the presidency after successfully completing his five-year term, paving the way for India-born Mamnoon Hussain to take over.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Zardari is the first elected President to complete his constitutional tenure and to be replaced by an elected individual in Pakistan's history that has witnessed numerous military coups.<br /><br />He was given a guard of honour, which was not attended by either the Prime Minister or the three service chiefs.<br /><br />However, Sharif had hosted an official farewell lunch for Zardari earlier this week and praised him for keeping the flag of democracy flying in the country.<br /><br />Zardari, 58, left for Lahore where he is expected to spend his days working on the revival of his Pakistan Peoples Party which was dealt a crushing defeat in the May 11 general election.<br /><br />Husband of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, Zardari had a controversial term but was able to keep democracy on track.<br /><br />Zardari, as President, remained in the eye of storm for holding dual office and faced allegations of using the President's house for partisan politics and ignoring key issues facing the country.<br /><br />He faced a strong and assertive judiciary which pursued him over multi-million-dollar corruption cases against him in Switzerland.<br /><br />The casualty of the struggle was then Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, who was sacked for refusing to ask Switzerland to reopen the cases.<br /><br />Another big crisis for him was the 'Memogate scandal' and also the unilateral US operation in May, 2011, in the garrison city of Abbottabad that killed al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.<br /><br />While the President's post is largely ceremonial, Zardari, as the chief of the then-ruling PPP, played an active role in the functioning of the government.<br /><br />However, he later had to give up the party post after pressure from the judiciary.<br />His detractors blame him for the weak economic and security scenario of the country. <br /><br />However, Zardari's supporters hail him for taking steps to strengthen democracy and for being the person who made possible the transition of power from one civilian government to another.<br /><br />They cite passage of important pieces of legislation, including laws empowering women against domestic violence and sexual harassment, as his achievements.<br />They also cite the passage of 18th Amendment as a major achievement of Zardari, pointing out that he voluntarily surrendered his vast power to strengthen parliamentary democracy.<br /><br />Speaking at a dinner for the staff of President's House last night‚ the President said he is glad to leave his office with dignity and honour on completion of his term.<br /><br />Zardari said that he always took decisions in the interests of the country, adding he devolved powers to the Parliament voluntarily.<br /><br />He came to centre stage after his marriage with Benazir Bhutto in 1987. Between 1993 and 1996, he held various cabinet positions in the second Benazir-led government.<br />Zardari was arrested on charges of corruption in late 1996.<br /><br />He was released from jail in 2004 and went into self-exile in Dubai, but returned home in December 2007 following Bhutto's assassination.<br /><br />Zardari came only after the promulgation of the controversial National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) by then military ruler General Pervez Musharraf.<br /><br />The NRO granted amnesty to politicians, political workers and bureaucrats who were accused of corruption, embezzlement, money laundering, murder, and terrorism between January 1 1986, and October 12 1999, the time between two states of martial law in Pakistan.<br /><br />It was declared unconstitutional by Pakistan's Supreme Court on December 16 2009, throwing the country into a political crisis.<br /><br />While Zardari stepped down, the new Pakistani President would be sworn in tomorrow.<br />Replacing Zardari would be Hussain, who had emerged as a clear winner in the one-sided contest with ex-judge Wajihuddin Ahmad of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf party.<br /><br />Born in the historic city of Agra, Hussain, who belongs to an Urdu-speaking ethnic group that migrated from India during partition in 1947, was the PML-N government's candidate.<br />He comes at a time when the government is framing a new counter-terrorism policy.<br />Among the many decisions that he will take once he assumes office, the controversial one would be the subject of lifting the moratorium on hanging in Pakistan.<br /><br />While Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif wanted to lift the moratorium, Zardari wanted it to continue.</p>