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PPP yet to decide on Premier

Islamabad: The Pakistan People’s Party said on Wednesday there was no decision yet on its prime ministerial candidate for the February 18 elections.

The PPP was forced to make the clarification after reports in most newspapers, quoting from an interview by Asif Ali Zardari to Newsweek that Benazir’s husband was positioning himself for the job. "A section of the press today, quoting Asif Ali Zardari’s interview to a US based weekly, has incorrectly inferred that [he] has staked claims for the office of the Prime Minister,” said spokesman Farahtullah Babar. In a statement, he said no decision had yet been taken on the party’s candidate for the office of Prime Minister.

On Thursday, the PPP will observe Benazir’s chelum, the 40th day after death. Benazir was assassinated on December 27 as she leaving after addressing an election rally at Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi.

Asked by Newsweek if he was a contender for the post, Mr. Zardari was ambivalent. “We’re not saying I am [one], or I’m not,” he said. He also pointed out that a prime ministerial candidate had to be a Member of Parliament and he was not a contestant in the February 18 parliamentary election. “I am not running for this Parliament at the moment,” he said.

But he also argued that he was nationally the most widely recognised of all PPP personalities, plus he had credibility as he had spent more than 11 years in jail on what he said were fabricated corruption charges.

Newsweek also reported that U.S. officials were concerned that a government led by Mr. Zardari may not offer the stability required to fight the “war on terror” effectively. In other words, it would lead to tension between the two power centres — the presidency and the Prime Minister.

On the other hand, President Pervez Musharraf would find it easier to work with PPP vice-chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim, a considerably weaker and submissive personality.

At his first press conference after Benazir’s December 27 assassination, Mr. Zardari had said Mr. Fahim would be the most likely candidate. Mr. Zardfari’s name was first floated only last week.

Despite the PPP denial, the impression that Mr. Zardari may be considering himself for the job strengthened after the party released Benazir’s “political will” on Tuesday, in which she names him as her successor, and says he has the political stature to keep the party united.

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