The Hindu : Front Page : Will to boost Zardari’s position

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Wednesday, Feb 06, 2008
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Will to boost Zardari’s position

Nirupama Subramanian

Asif Ali Zardari

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Peoples Party on Tuesday released an excerpt from a will written by Benazir Bhutto on October 16, 2007, two days before she arrived in Pakistan ending an eight-year self-imposed exile.

In the “political will,” which is addressed to the PPP, Benazir nominates her husband Asif Ali Zardari to lead the party “in this interim period until you and he decide what is best.”

The will showers praise on Mr. Zardari, who took over the reins of the party as co-chairman immediately after her death, and said he would fill in for their son Bilawal, anointed the chairman, until he finishes his studies at Oxford.

It describes Mr. Zardari as “a man of courage and honour” for not bending under torture during his 11-1/2 years in prison, and says he has the “political stature” to keep the party united.

Benazir writes in the will that she fears for the future of Pakistan and asks the PPP to continue the fight against extremism, dictatorship, poverty and ignorance. There is another part of the will that deals with family assets, which the PPP has not made public.

The PPP released the will two days before Benazir’s 40th day ceremony, to be held on February 7 in Naudero in the Larkana district of Sindh, where she is buried in her family mausoleum.

Mr. Zardari is scheduled to hit the campaign trail the next day. The timely release of the will is certain to help him consolidate the leadership of the PPP and silence the murmurs of dissent against his taking over the party.

He is scheduled to travel up from Larkana to Punjab campaigning for the February 18 election in which the PPP is expected to reap a sympathy vote for Benazir.

Benazir Bhutto

Last week, a senior PPP member floated Mr. Zardari’s name as a possible candidate for prime ministership, taking many within the party by surprise, including Makhdoom Amin Fahim, who was earlier mentioned by the co-chairman as the likely prime ministerial candidate.

“Public property”

Addressing a press conference in Naudero after the release of the will, party information secretary Sherry Rehman said the will was always public property and it was the party’s plan to make it part of Benazir’s archives.

But the immediate reason for releasing it at this time was its inclusion in a new book by Benazir, Reconciliation: Islam, Democracy and the West, to be released on February 12 in the United States.

Hearing today

A Supreme Court Bench is to start hearing on Wednesday five petitions against the National Reconciliation Ordinance, signed by President Pervez Musharraf a day before his October 6 election, quashing corruption cases against Benazir and her husband.

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