Zardari also held talks with Myanmar's President Thein Sein in the capital Naypyidaw on the first day of his two-day official visit on Tuesday to upgrade bilateral relations and promote economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

The Pakistani President, who is facing corruption allegations at home, and who is at loggerheads with his country's powerful army, had earlier said he was a fan of Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's and looked up to her peaceful struggle for democracy.

Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, has spent most of the past two decades under house arrest. She was released from detention last year and is now all set to participate in by-elections.

Role models for democracy

Zardari heaped praise on Suu Kyi saying "she will be this century's leader to be remembered by coming generations." He bestowed on Suu Kyi the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Award for Democracy, which the Pakistani government has created in memory of Zardari's assassinated wife and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

The Pakistani president and Myanmar's opposition leader held 45 minutes of talk in private.

"We want to stop as far as possible the suffering of families in our country," Suu Kyi said at the award presentation in Yangon. "I hope the day will come when our two countries will be able to cooperate very closely to ensure that the rights of families and people everywhere are safeguarded by sound, secure values," she said.

Uneasy relations with military

Like Aung San Suu Kyi, President Zardari, too, has an uneasy relation with the army. His Pakistan People's Party's government is facing an unfolding scandal known as "memogate" revolving around a letter written to the US government to rein in the Pakistani army and its generals and prevent a possible coup following the assassination of Osama bin Laden in May last year.

President Zardari and his government deny any involvement in the scandal, which opposition parties claim undermines Pakistan's security and national sovereignty. The Pakistani courts are currently investigating this alleged "act of treason." If guilty of treason, Zardari's government could be sacked on the orders of the court, whilst the prime minister and president may also be tried.

Many observers are of the view that there is an ongoing tug of war between the military and civilians in Pakistan.

In Myanmar, a military-backed civilian government assumed power last year. The military regime has undertaken a series of reforms in Myanmar, including talks with Suu Kyi, who has been allowed to stand in by-elections in April. The government has also released hundreds of political prisoners in a bid to improve its democratic credentials. However, it is yet to be seen how far Myanmar's junta would go to accommodate Suu Kyi and other pro-democracy politicians.

Author: Shamil Shams (AFP, Reuters)
Editor: Sarah Berning