Zardari mutely emerging as contender for PM slot

ISLAMABAD—PPP central leader and contender in the race for prime minister Ahmad Mukhtar has said majority of PPP MNAs-elect has proposed Asif Zardari for the slot of prime minister. He said this while talking to the journalists after his meeting with Asif Ali Zardari here Tuesday.
There is no rift in the party over issue of premiership; he said adding majority of Members- elect wanted to see Asif Zardari to be the prime minister. Asif Zardari must be the prime minister to take along allied parties and to sustain alliance, he underlined. Responding to a question he said speaker of national assembly will be nominated by March, 15.
Makhdoom Amin Fahim is senior leader of PPP and he is respectable for all of us, Ahmad Mukhtar maintained. Majority of the members-elect from Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) have advised co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari to assume the post of the prime minister himself, party sources said Tuesday as he completed consultations process.
Asif Ali Zardari held last session of deliberations with members of the National Assembly (MNAs) from Lahore, Gujranwala and Multan and sought their proposals for nomination of the premiership candidate. “We have told the party co-chairman that if he assumes the office of prime minister, he would be able to keep the party united,” PPP Secretary General Jahangir Bader told reporters outside the Zardari House.
“Asif Zardari will take everybody along,” he added. A PPP MNA-elect also confirmed the suggestion to nominate Asif Zardari as PM candidate and said senior party leadership would chalk out a strategy to implement the proposal. MNA-elect from Sialkot Dr Firdous Ashique said the premiership candidate would be disclosed after the party announcement of candidates for the offices of speaker and deputy speaker of the National Assembly.
“The party co-chairman gave us options and sought proposals for the PM candidate during the meeting,” she added. Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, who is vying for premiership, also attended the meeting. “I am still the candidate for PM slot and would remain till the announcement,” Ahmed Mukhtar told media persons.
In reply to a question, he said that PPP would finalise the nominations for key slots within a few days. “We have just completed the consultation process, so give us some time to finalize,” he added. PPP General Secretary Jahangir Badar on Tuesday said that Co-Chairman of the party Asif Ali Zardari was the best candidate according to merit and seniority. Talking to journalists, he said that he had requested Asif Ali Zardari to announce his name for premiership in order to end controversy.
He said that he advised Makhdoom Amin Fahim to come back and he will be given full respect in the party. He is my brother, he stated. He said that the party would announce the name of Speaker, Deputy Speaker and Prime Minister in first session of NA on March 17. Consultation process started by PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari to finalise the name of candidate for the office of the Prime Minister have entered final round and a decision is expected within a couple of days.

—Agencies