October 26, 2002	Saturday	Sha’aban 19,1423

KARACHI, Oct 25: Former federal education minister Zubeda Jalal, who has formally joined the Pakistan Muslim League (Q), said on Friday it was up to the leadership of the party to decide who should be nominated for prime minister’s slot.

However, she maintained that she was ready to accept any responsibility assigned to her by the party leadership in the national interest, though she termed the reports of her becoming a candidate for prime minister’s office mere speculations.

She was talking to Dawn at a local hospital where she gave birth to a baby boy, named Chaakar Khan, a week ago.

Ms Jalal, who was picked up by President Gen Musharraf as education minister in his cabinet, resigned from his office to contest the Oct 10 election and returned from NA-272 (Kech-cum- Gwadur) as an independent candidate. She joined the PML (Q) on Thursday - the last day for independent candidates to join a political party.

Her name has been repeatedly mentioned as a candidate for the office of prime minister because of her backing by the powers that be.

A calm and well-composed Ms Jalal wearing traditional Balochi dress, who hails from Mund village of Mekran bordering Iran, in a terse and frank language said: “I am a new entrant in the party and can’t take such vital decisions alone.”

“Whatever decision is to be made by the party high command, I will abide by it,” a confidant Ms Jalal said, adding: “I am going to Islamabad tomorrow (Saturday) to meet the party leaders there and I am ready to take any challenge.”

Ms Jalal also made it clear that she had not received any message from the party in this regard so far. On the contrary, there were reports that the party had nominated Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali as a nominee for prime minister’s office.

She, however, hastened to add that as a policy matter the party had already taken a decision that the nominee should be from a smaller province, particularly from Balochistan.

Ms Jalal confirmed that President Musharraf had twice phoned her - first after she won the election and then on the birth of her baby.

When she was pressed whether any message was communicated to her, Ms Jalal said the President told her to take complete care and rest because she would be busy in the coming days.

The former education minister said speculations of her becoming future prime minister were ripe in the Press after her visit to the US in March, during which she met some high US officials, despite the fact that the visit was purely meant for education purpose and to seek support of the US government in this regard.

When asked about the reason for her joining the PML (Q), Ms Jalal said she wanted to complete her education reforms which were introduced during her tenure as education minister.

In reply to a question, she said she fought the election as an independent candidate because the people of her constituency desired so. Elaborated further, she said the people were fed up with the politics of nationalist parties who, she said, did nothing for the people after coming to power.

Ms Jalal said the people of Balochistan needed a new leadership with a wider vision and committed to ameliorating the lot of the common man.

She also made it clear that she would accord top priority to the education sector whatever portfolio was allotted to her by the party.

To a question, the 43-year-old former education minister, who founded a model English school in her home town - Mund - and is popularly known for her education services, said: “Politics is not new for my family as both my father and father-in-law were actively involved in it.”

Ms Jalal’s father-in-law, late Mir Wahid Kurd, was a former Senator and was among the leading figures of the defunct National Awami Party.

Mr Kurd was imprisoned during the first PPP regime and was made an accused in the once famous Hyderabad conspiracy case.

Her husband, Changez Khan Kurd, had been an active member of the Baloch Students’ Organization. He has been elected as member of the Balochistan Assembly in the Oct polls from the constituency of Bolan-cum-Kuchi.