Hillary Clinton is said to be the only person who wears the pants in the White House, although an American buddy here in Karachi put it more explicitly as the only one to have, (in fact what he really said would make the Editor use the blue pen, and so I’ll put it more euphemistically for the readers) a pair of a certain human male anatomy. The dame has spunk. The lady is gritty. The woman personifies the term "bold and beautiful". Coming back to the homefront, there is one person that fits the bill of a strong, persuasive, and charming person. He is the First Spouse, or as some people put it, "the most important personality of the land". He is Asif Ali Zardari, consort par excellence.

The first term of Benazir Bhutto saw (as we use to say in Muncie, Indiana) "mah main man", play a subdued role, more so behind the scenes. However, the stories of his pull and power were aplenty, especially those which focused on his emulating Little Jack Horner, who, as you know, sat in the corner and put in his hand and pulled out a plum and said what a good boy am I. The second coming of the Lady of the White Dupatta saw a transformation in The Man. He was no more a back seat driver. He was now a key ball player. He was on center-stage.

Asif took over the reins of the dormant environmental scene. He went all hog in implementing the government’s policy of making Pakistan really green. He chose super-bureaucrat Salman Faruqi as his second-in-command and cajoled the gnomes of the country’s banking sector to cough up millions for planting trees all over the country. Pretty soon, he was on PTV nearly every night, commanding a meeting of bankers, government officials, and the NGOs, he was presiding over school and college debates on the environment, he was meeting and signing agreements and MOUs with foreigners. In fact, his Pakistan Environmental Protection Council was like a super-charged body doing in months what has never been attempted in the past years and decades.

Asif also played and still plays a leading role in the political scenario too. The change of guards in Punjab demonstrated the persuasive powers of this man. He kept the parliamentarians in check and ensured that the renegades were back in the party stables where they rightly belong. In Sindh too, his fingerprints are all but visible. He is pulling the strings, no doubt about it.

Asif has also started cultivating the industrial and trade community. Sometime back, he took a high-powered delegation of industrialists to South Korea, where reportedly over US$ 4 billion worth of MOUs were given the John Hancock. On his return, the APTMA bigwigs, who had accompanied him to Seoul and had taken the opportunity to whine about the problems faced by the spinners, continued with the goodwill generated on the tour, and presto, the Textile Package was announced with fanfare. The textile people rah-rahed for days on this good fortune.

Recently, the FPCCI invited him for a luncheon meeting in Karachi. Asif arrived with aplomb amid top-notch security. The huge gathering gave him a rousing reception normally reserved for the President or the Premier. The FPCCI’s lame duck President, S.M.Muneer dwelt lengthily on the issues faced by the business community. As I remarked to senior journalist Safia Rashid Khan who was sitting with us, and who wanted my comments for her column, that it seemed that Muneer was addressing the Chairman of Pakistan Protection Council rather than the Pakistan Environmental Protection Council. In his speech, The Man talked less of the environment and more on the burning issue of Karachi. He wanted the audience "to talk shop" with him. He urged them to work together with the government and implored that the time is for all to have a common agenda. He was all for the privatization of the ports, and gave a clarion call for the genuine businessmen to come forward and take possession of the ports. He called Karachi, "a city of my heart" and talked about the situation being a "created problem" by those who were in power before the present regime. He agreed to get Tariq Saeed, the Godfather of the business community reinstated, and also answered all the queries and questions put to him by the audience. Frankly speaking, he charmed the guests with his wit and with his presentation. Muneer was so over-awed by the presence of the Chief Guest, that he made sure that the head honchos of all the five major banks sat on the dais with the Great Man ! Certainly a new phenomenon, where otherwise people do not come if they sense that they will not sit at the head table.

A few days back, the MNA from Nawabshah presided over the Export Summit in Islamabad. Flanked by the Commerce Minister and the Commerce Secretary (Salman Faruqi, who else), he listened attentively to the grievances and suggestions of the leading exporters of this country. The summit took some extra-ordinary valuable decisions that could facilitate the way the export regime is conducted here, and at the same time, the meeting was assured that other suggestions will be presented before the Economic Committee of the Cabinet for approval. The Man also declared that he would lead two important delegations consisting of industrialists and businessmen to Australia and Indonesia after Eid.

It is then a fact that this person is a real go-getter and that it is necessary and essential for the Bhutto government to utilize the full potential of The Man so that finally there is somebody who can kick up the dust on the red-tape and get the country moving again. For starters, Super- Asif can do the following :

• Have a weekly talk show on Radio Pakistan and on FM 100 (it is presumed that he is buddy-buddy with the owner of this network), and talk to the common man in his own inimitable way on matters concerning pollution and the environment. He should talk more on the micro level so that the average Joe is motivated to care about the environment. This writer suggested this approach to Asif Zardari at the FPCCI lunch at a one-on-one tête-à-tête.
• Nominate himself as the Chief Spokesman and Chief Salesman of the industrial and business community. He himself offered to take on this role. The export summit and the tours are examples of this position. He should meet the heads of all Associations and strive to use his special powers to get the ball moving so that pending issues are resolved pronto.
• Lead the government side in the negotiations with MQM. The present three nominees are powerless and ineffectual. He himself stated that "things in Karachi are not kosher and that there is an insurgency in Karachi". Therefore, being a true Karachiite and very close to the citadel of power, he can be more convincing in getting the government’s viewpoint across to 90, Azizabad. Vice versa, the MQM can expect swift headway and action in the talks.

In short, friends and foes, admirers and critics, fans and faultfinders, all agree that The Man is something else. He has carved his niche on the political and business fields of Pakistan. The polo-playing, carefree, young man is now a seasoned politician, a shrewd tactician, and a helluva smart businessman. He is Super-Asif. A candidate for Nishan-e-Pakistan. Pakistan’s Man for All Seasons !