Asif Ali Zardari

US blank cheque to Pakistan can always be cancelled

On the surface it may seem like relations between Pakistan and the US could never have been better, but dig deep and you can see the fissures.

Pakistan's civilian leaders may think they are the epitomes of democracy, but there are suspicions about their own credentials and the tailor-made democracy may not be a good fit for the present lot of self-appointed leaders.

If you ask the critics, and cynics, they will tell you the Obama administration is talking to people they hand picked.

Like Asif Ali Zardari, the president of Pakistan, and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)-led government!

After General Pervez Musharraf decided to doff off his military uniform and hand over the presidency  to Zardari, (as agreed under a UK- and US-sponsored deal), Musharraf was given a ceremonial guard of honour.

As a soldier, he wanted an honourable way out, and the deal guaranteed that, even though, according to some critics, "his deeds in serving his nation

A natural, political crisis

There are times, few and far between I might add, that flying has its benefits.

Arriving into Pakistan from London I got a birds eye view of the massive flood that has left millions stranded and, according to some estimates, nearly 1,300 people dead.

From this height the water shimmers in the sun. Huge swathes of the countryside seem to be covered.

That this is a tragedy is beyond doubt, but what is in doubt is the government's response to it.

Over the last few days the administration has been hugely criticised by a cross section of Pakistani society.

In the Swat valley, in the country's northwest, many complain of aid not getting through.

One man who I spoke to, Min Hajuddin was blunt. "President Asif Ali Zardari is simply useless." It seems to be a common refrain.

The president is currently on a tour of Europe where he will visit the UK.

A legal, and now political drama...

It had all the makings of a great TV show: A president under a cloud, a supreme court with a historic judgment to make and a nation in waiting.

To add to the drama a decision was made by the court to tell the world at 4.30pm local time [11.30GMT] their verdict. It was a tense wait as the deadline passed.

In the hours that we waited for the judgement, speculation was high. The rumours where that the supreme court's 17 judges were divided between hawks and doves. That the decision was painful because others wanted to find a middle way.

Finally, a little before 11pm, it arrived. A scriptwriter could not written a better ending. Once the judgement came, speculation turned to jubilation for some, shock for others - null and void.