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Ali Haider Zaidi needs no introduction. He is currently serving as the Minister for Maritime Affairs and is a senior member of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.

Elected to the National Assembly from Karachi in 2018 general elections, Ali Zaidi was inducted into the cabinet of Prime Minister Imran Khan. The honourable minister remains one of the most popular members of the PTI. We caught up with him to ask a few candid questions about his life and politics.

MM: If not maritime, what ministry would you have taken?

Ali Zaidi: I would have taken technology.

MM: Three privileges you receive as a minister?

Ali Zaidi: I am no more bound to body screening at airports – no one checks me now. I never liked the screening at airports, especially in Pakistan, but no one does I guess. So I am happy I don’t have to go through that anymore. I have attained only this one privilege so far; I turned down the residence at the Ministers’ Enclave, so yes I guess I got more problems than privileges now.

MM: Three things you can’t do as a minister?

Ali Zaidi: Well, I blabber a lot among my friends, but now I have to control that habit because I usually get misquoted, and later it is turned into a controversy.

Secondly, it is difficult to give time to my family, because I get caught up in my duties towards the maritime sector a lot.

Thirdly, my designation has affected my outings a lot. Due to coronavirus, everything is shut now. But before, I loved going to the cinema and eating popcorn which I can no longer do as a minister.

MM: Khan Sahab’s best habit?

Ali Zaidi: He listens to everybody.

MM: Khan Sahab’s worst habit?

Ali Zaidi: He listens to everybody! There is a quote: a man’s greatest strength is also his weakness. In the terminology of cricket: the more runs you make on a shot the more risk there is of being run out. The one interesting thing about Imran Khan is that he listens to everyone but he makes decisions on his own.

MM: PTI’s best asset?

Ali Zaidi: The youth and PTI’s ideology.

MM: Describe Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in 3 words?

Ali Zaidi: He is a sissy and has no idea about politics; you can call him clueless of the ground reality. He is also a benefactor of corruption.

MM: Describe Maryam Nawaz in 3 words?

Ali Zaidi: Misguiding, revengeful, and dangerous- not for me, but for herself and her family.

MM: Last time you visited your constituency?

Ali Zaidi: The day before yesterday.

MM: Three things your ministry has achieved under you?

Ali Zaidi: Not three but actually I would like to share 4 achievements:

1) We have addressed many issues related to sea freight. This has been the easiest task.

2) We have made the boards quite independent which makes them more efficient and effective.

3) We have introduced shipping policies through which ship-owners who register their ships in Pakistan will be exempted from income-tax, custom-duty, and sales-tax until 2030. The conditions to this are that the owner will hire only Pakistani seafarers and will take money-flat in rupees. This will ease pressure on foreign exchange.

4) Our biggest achievement is the two major LNG vessels we have issued LOIs for without any government offtake guarantee. Both terminal operators will give 10 million dollars each for the site.

MM: Three things that still need to change?

Ali Zaidi: Well it’s a secret that I can’t reveal it now but let me give you an interesting statement here. The word corruption contains no ‘Ds’ but there are three ‘Ds’ in mega illegal money-making:

1) Drug trade

2) Diamond smuggling

3) Dredging

People are unaware of an unbelievable amount of money earned through dredging. So I want to fix this!

MM: Who would run the country better PPP or PML-N?

Ali Zaidi: Both parties have had their chance, they lost it! One word I would say for their leadership: disastrous.

MM: PTI’s biggest achievement to date?

Ali Zaidi: The biggest achievement of PTI is people like me who don’t have any political background are in the power politics now, they are welcomed in the party. Though we struggled; I lost four elections before winning one. So PTI’s strength is that it has given voice to the common man of Pakistan.

MM: A person who you think should join PTI?

Ali Zaidi: It’s a tough question…there are a lot of people I know I convinced to join the party. Let’s say MPA Bilal Ghaffar, I think he is one of the brilliant minds in the provisional assembly, he is educated, a stockbroker, with no political background, I would say he is a smart man…then there is Sidra, in fact, there are many I adore so I won’t name a specific person but there are a lot of people.

MM: Best TV Anchor?

Ali Zaidi: Every channel has its best anchor I won’t take sides, every anchor is great at what they do.

MM: A chicken thief is imprisoned but Nawaz Sharif is out on bail, why is that so?

Ali Zaidi: It’s a devastating situation! Our prosecution is weak, that’s our biggest problem. We lack in investigations, our police do not have advanced resources, while criminals like Nawaz Sharif have the best resources instead and so they are easily bailed out.

MM: If PTI is unable to make the next government, what will be the reason behind it?

Ali Zaidi: One thing I have learnt from Imran Khan is never to think of what will happen if we lose but of what will happen if we win. He always advises focusing on what we will do and how we will do it. In our tenure, we have faced everything the other ruling parties didn’t. Whether it’s protests or coronavirus, locusts attacks, or Pulwama attack; we have faced everything. There is one saying of Hazrat Ali (SA): ‘God only tests those who can overcome the problem’.

MM: Do you believe Uzair Baloch’s JIT report will ever become public?

Ali Zaidi: I have not only asked for the JIT report of the Uzair Baloch case but also of Nisar Morai and Baldia Factory Fire case. When I first filed the case in 2017, I was neither a minister nor there were any elections conducted. People used to say I was on a suicide mission. I won the case after 2.5 years. The plea I recently filed is of contempt of court against the Sindh government. I will not rest until the JIT report is made public.

MM: A quote you live by?

Ali Zaidi: “Live like Ali, die like Hussain”

I placed three paintings in my office when I became a minister:

1) ‘Ayatul Kursi’ for my safety.

2) A Quranic verse: “Wato Izzo Mantasha Wato Zillo Mantasha”. It means Allah gives honour to whom He pleases and dishonour to whom He pleases. I always consider this and remind myself that the respect or disrespect given to me is in the hands of Allah.

3) The last one is a picture of a quote that says: ‘Jab bhi kabhi zameer ka sauda ho doston, qayam raho Hussain k inkaar ki tarhan’ (whenever they try to trade your soul, stay steadfast like Hussein’s refusal).

MM: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Ali Zaidi: My political leader is Imran Khan. I will be whenever he wants me to be.