April 28, 2008	Monday	Rabi-us-Sani 21, 1429

ISLAMABAD, April 27: Pakistan People’s Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari is not likely to contest by-election for a National Assembly seat. Sources in the party told Dawn on Sunday that Mr Zardari prefered to continue to lead the party without entering parliament and the Larkana seat of NA-207 would be contested by his sister Faryal Talpur.

They said the party had fielded Aitzaz Ahsan and Amir Fida Paracha for the NA-55 seat in Rawalpindi, vacated by Pakistan Muslim League-N’s Makhdoom Javed Hashmi.

Mr Hashmi had won from three constituencies but decided to retain his seat in his home town Multan. He has also given up the Lahore (NA-123) seat from where PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif is expected to contest the coming by-election.

Although Mr Sharif has not yet taken a formal decision, it is believed that he would avoid contesting for the seat if Mr Zardari decides to keep out of the by-election.

Although the PPP co-chairman has not announced his decision not to take part in the by-elections, he hinted in a recent interview that he will like his sister to contest for the Larkana seat.

A senior PPP leader said the party had decided that Mr Zardari would not contest the by-elections but a formal decision would be taken on May 6. “I think the he will not be a candidate,” the PPP leader said.

Analysts said that

Mr Zardari’s decision could affect the political situation because everybody was expecting him to become an MNA and eventually become the prime minister after the Supreme Court abolished the condition of graduation.

Sources in the PPP said that although the party was considering the names of Aitzaz Ahsan and Amir Fida Paracha for NA-55, it had been decided that the party ticket would be awarded to the senior lawyer.

But political analysts said if the deposed judges were not reinstated by April 30 deadline, Mr Ahsan would find it difficult to accept the PPP ticket.