March 16, 2008	Sunday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 7, 1429

DADU, March 15: An activist of Pakistan People’s Party attempted to commit suicide on Saturday in protest against reports Makhdoom Amin Fahim was no more being considered as the country’s next prime minister.

Raising slogans of “Jeay Bhutto” and “Prime Minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim” Mumtaz Abro entered the city and attempted to commit suicide after dousing himself in kerosene oil but for police standing nearby who overpowered him and took him to police station.

Before making the suicide attempt, Mr Abro said that he was going to commit suicide because the PPP leadership was not nominating Amin Fahim as prime minister and appealed to PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari to nominate Amin Fahim as prime minister.

The SHO Asghar Birhamani said that police would soon release the PPP worker.

Our Nawabshah correspondent adds: Activists of PPP and members of Sarwari Jamaat staged a rally in Qazi Ahmed on Saturday demanding that the PPP leadership nominate Makhdoom Amin Fahim as prime minister.

The participants of the rally, carrying banners and placards and raising slogans of “Prime Minister Makhdoom Saheb” marched on main thoroughfares before terminating the rally at the press club.

Makhdoom’s supporters said that Makhdoom Amin Fahim was the most senior leader of the party who had devoted his entire life to the party cause. His sincerity and loyalty was aboveboard as he looked after party affairs in the absence of Benazir Bhutto, they argued.

They accused agencies of conspiring to create rifts in the party and urged the leadership to nominate Makhdoom as prime minister.

PPP workers Abdul Razzaq Mahar, Qurban Mallah and Mr Rahu warned of committing self-immolation on March 19 if Makhdoom Amin Fahim was not made prime minister.