CNN has this to say:
Pakistan’s recently-elected president, Asif Ali Zardari, entered the room seconds later. Palin rose to shake his hand, saying she was “honored” to meet him. Zardari then called her “gorgeous” and said: “Now I know why the whole of America is crazy about you.”
“You are so nice,” Palin said, smiling. “Thank you.” A handler from Zardari’s entourage then told the two politicians to keep shaking hands for the cameras. “If he’s insisting, I might hug,” Zardari said. Palin smiled politely.
Comment:
An excerpt from Zardari's BBC interview with Owen Benett Jones on 25 April 2008:
OBJ: Jemima Khan wrote ... and I quote from her interview with President Musharraf. She says in the end: "He shakes my hand. 'It will be the saddest day for Pakistan if Benazir's crooked widower is in power by Monday,'I say. As the President walks away, he looks back. 'At least we part on agreement.'"
AZ: Well ... what can I say ... she is pretty.
OBJ: Pretty? Are you trying the charm offensive on Jemima Khan?
AZ: One should have pretty friends.
Condoleeza Rice too had written about how Shaukat Aziz had tried to charm her.
What's wrong with these Pakistani leaders? Do they really think powerful and successful women like Condoleeza Rice, Jemima Khan, and Sarah Palin can be charmed by some oily one-liners?
10 comments:
Zee sahib,
If I remember correct, one US senator who was snet to Nationalist China did end up having an one night stand with Madame Jiang.
Regards
Majumdar,
Really? Perhaps Zardari is looking for one in Alaska!
Given that Pakistan is not famous for sophisticated gender relations the corny missteps of our "leaders" re-enforce the idea that the state is backwards and sexist.
cliftonbridge,
Palin rose to shake his hand, saying she was “honored” to meet him. And then Zardari calls her “gorgeous”.
Who did he think she is?
Sorry, but I take great offense at this act of the elected president of Pakistan. These people have no idea who women are.
And yes, I'm the misogynist, from another forum :) No offense of-course. Just perceptions.
lol....about your other forum persona !
zardari represents the sort of subclass of pakistani society called the "mela's" (dirty).
You can give him all the money women and power in the world but he will still be a mela with no class.
WTF was our sophisticated beautiful BB thinking :(
Oh c'mon. I am a woman and Zardari's response about Jemima was perfectly fine. Though he crossed the line with Palin - he needs to show more class. It is a joke that you would even dare mention Jemima (who has never held a job) in the same league as the Secretary of State of the United States and the Governor of Alaska.
But back to your comment - Who is Jemima Khan? Just living in Pakistan for five years (for only 6 months a year at that) does not make you any kind of authority on Zardari or any other politician. Since her public role is that of a celebrity... Zardari was right to dismiss her. The fact that she has been romantically involved with Hugh Grant and Imran Khan is what makes her "successful"?
So, I think Zardari's line was apt... Jemima's opinion (which she has every right to, but no real public platform for) is even heard of simply because she is a good- looking socialite. Would anyone give a moment's notice about what an ugly ex-wife of a marginal politician (albeit a cricket legend) has to say? No.
But Rice and Palin actually are career women and Zardari, of all people, you would think, knows how to deal with a powerful woman on the world stage!
cliftonbridge,
err ... was Shaukat Aziz a 'mela' too after a lifetime at Citicorp???
I think it's really about 'class' and not about melas or burgers. I think many burgers are even bigger idiots!
But the difference becomes even more stark when one recalls Ahmedinejad standing smiling and ignoring the outstretched hand of an American woman Dignitary (Rice?). He made it clear she should have been aware of the customs he represents, and made her look like a fool. Here, Zardari made a fool out of himself and embarrassed the rest of Pakistan as well!
Anonymous,
I agree Jemima's journalistic merit may be questionable, but then that's what Zardari should have said to Owen Bennet Jones. Instead, he said she was pretty and he liked pretty friends.
Now what does Jemima's being pretty or not pretty got to do with anything she said about Zardari in that interview?
Zee,
No, no society isnt divided just into burgers and mailas.
Zardari is a maila ....if he had some class he would be a bun kebab :)
bun kebabs are very cool people.
SAziz seems like he exhibited the same cluelessnes around Condi so to me that was pretty maila aswell.
cliftonbridge,
I suppose I could describe myself as a Bun Kebab in that case!
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