ISLAMABAD, Sept 25: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has announced that it will contest the presidential election if President Pervez Musharraf is disqualified by the Supreme Court.
PPP spokesman Farhatullah Khan Babar told Dawn here on Tuesday that the party had decided to field its leader Makhdoom Amin Fahim in the presidential race with Nawabshah District Nazim Faryal Talpur as his covering candidate. Ms Talpur is sister of former senator Asif Zardari.
With the decision, the PPP has once again distanced itself from other opposition parties, which have announced that their members will quit the assemblies on Sept 29, the day of scrutiny of the nomination papers of the candidates.
Mr Babar said that if the Supreme Court did not disqualify Gen Musharraf, the PPP would consider resigning from parliament “unless moves are made towards democracy”.
The spokesman said it had been the PPP’s position that if Gen Musharraf shed his military uniform, lifted ban on the two-time prime ministers contesting again and took steps for national reconciliation as outlined by the party then it would oppose Gen Musharraf’s election in parliament but would not resign.
He said it was premature to comment on the candidature of Justice (retd) Wajihuddin unless the issue of eligibility of Gen Musharraf was settled.
When asked why was the party fielding its candidate when it believed that the present assemblies had no right to elect the president for another term, he said it would come up with its official statement on the issue soon. “We are intentionally leaving some ambiguities on certain issues,” he said.
Our Lahore correspondent adds: Makhdoom Amin Fahim says the PPP does not want to keep itself out of the electoral process.
Talking to Dawn here on Tuesday, he said it would be unconstitutional for the present assemblies to elect Gen Musharraf for another term.
“However, if the assemblies elect me or any other candidate as the head of state, they will not be doing anything unconstitutional as this will be the first time that they will be exercising their vote in favour of a first-timer,” he argued.
The PPP has consistently argued that since the present assemblies are about to complete their constitutional term, they don’t have the right and power to elect a new president for a term of five years.
Mr Fahim said Ms Bhutto had proposed him as presidential candidate and the matter had been discussed by PPP leaders, including Senators, MNAs and office-bearers, at a meeting in Karachi. The meeting, he said, endorsed the idea after discussing various aspects.
Asked which other party would support him in the presidential election, Mr Fahim said: “only the time will tell.”
