Conferring Nishan-e-Pakistan by Dr. Ghayur Ayub

Let us raise our hands and pray for President Asif Ali Zardari's ability to politicise anything without fear of being tainted with corruption - a term frequently escapes his vocabulary. No wonder the word was missing from his address to the Joint Session of the Parliament.

This time, sticking to his style of obtuse politics he gave a new shape to 'Nishan-e-Pakistan' - a prestigious medal conferred in past on personalities like, King Abdullah, HM Queen Elizabeth II, Dwight Eisenhower and Nelson Mendela. By adding the allegedly corrupt politicians like Babar Awan,(Punjab Bank Scandal) Pervez Ashraf (Private Rental Power scandal) and Naveed Qamar (LNG scandal) to the list he, in a way, put the poisonous toadstool mushrooms to the sweet mushrooms in one basket. Coming from him on the day of Nauroze Eid was a stark reminder of the Hajj Eid when his crony minister polluted the day of blessing with the curse of corruption. The question is when, how and where is it going to stop?