Pakistan, March 10 -- President-elect Asif Ali Zardari has secured a significant mandate from both provincial and national assemblies, excluding the KP assembly, which is a comprehensible outcome. However, his forthcoming tenure may differ substantially from his previous stint, characterized by extensive executive authority, especially with his close ally, Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, as Prime Minister. With Shahbaz Sharif assuming the role of Prime Minister this time, Zardari may encounter a different dynamic in the presidency, notwithstanding the lavish privileges inherent to the position.

The President House, although unassuming from its exterior, sprawls over an area equivalent to an entire sector of Islamabad. It encompasses official re...