Restraining Zardari

I really had hoped for a more dignified encounter with Zardari. I’d hoped to ask him which of the various biographies of Jinnah he’d found best captured the man and his times. I also thought I would ask Zardari whether he was familiar with Ernest Gellner’s theory of nationalism. I wanted to see if the president would recognize its relevance to the Pakistani state without me explicitly making the link.

Instead, the man got fresh with me. Surely there must be a male politician out there who is more cerebral than carnal. We live in hope.