PPP set to pick Benazir successor

LONDON—Benazir Bhutto’s husband said in an interview Saturday that she left instructions about the future of the Pakistan People’s Party to be read in the event of her death, which would be made public Sunday. Asif Zardari said in an interview that the couple’s son would read out the message from the former prime minister and opposition leader, who was assassinated in Pakistan Thursday.
Zardari also revealed that his wife had made detailed plans for her burial, including changing the location of the plot from his family’s ancestral tomb to her family’s mausoleum following another recent suicide bomb attack. “She has left a message for the party and she has left a will, so we shall be doing that tomorrow (Sunday) after the third day (of official mourning,)” he said.
“We have called for a meeting and her will will be read out there and the instructions she has left will be read out there.” Asked if he would succeed her as party leader, Zardari said: “It depends on the party and depends on the will.” Bhutto’s spokeswoman Sherry Rehman said Saturday that the PPP will decide whether to take part in January’s elections at a central executive committee meeting Sunday.
Zardari also spoke of his personal sense of loss following the death of his wife, who he said meant “much more than life” to him. “I have seen many tragedies in my life... but nothing has devastated me more than this has,” he said. “We were always aware of the dangers she faced but somehow we were hoping that we would succeed and they would not — the terrorists and the people who back these terrorists.”
An informal meeting of PPP, PML-N, ARD and APDM leaders was held here Saturday in Bhutto house. Asif Ali Zardari, Makhdoom Amin Fahim and Yousaf Raza Gillani represented PPP, Nawaz Sharif, Raja Zafar ul Haq, Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, Khawaja Asif attended the meeting from PML-N, Mehmood Khan Achakzai from APDM and Ghulam Ahmad Bilore from ANP.
Talking to the participants of the meeting Asif Zardari said the desire of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto to contest the election in order to rid the country of dictatorship should be honored. “However the final decision to take part in the election or otherwise will be taken in PPP meeting”, he indicated. All the parties should go along side by side, he added. Addressing to Mian Nawaz Sharif he said the decision to participate in the elections should be unanimous. Nawaz Sharif agreed over it.
Leader Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Makhdoom Amin Fahim who was with late Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto at the time of suicide attack has said that the Central executive committee of Party would take the decision about participation in the elections and would not take any decision emotionally or in haste.
In an exclusive chat with BBC Urdu on Saturday, he said, we would take decision after sincere and lengthy deliberation instead of emotionally during the meeting of Central Executive Committee of Party.—Agencies