NAUDERO: PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will lead the party’s election campaign for the coming polls.

Briefing reporters after a special meeting of the central executive committee and federal council of the Pakistan People’s Party held at the camp office of President’s House here on Thursday night, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira and PPP general secretary Jahangir Badar said it had been decided that a consensus of all parties would be developed for a caretaker set-up. Asked about the role of Law Minister Farooq H. Naek in this regard, they said it was the prerogative of the president to assign any task to anyone.

They said that like the 18th Amendment, an impartial prime minister could also be brought with consensus.

They said Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had sent a clear message to both democratic and anti-democratic forces in his speech at a public meeting earlier in the day. He was already acting as chairman of the party, they said in reply to a question.

The meeting, presided over by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, paid tribute to the leadership of Benazir Bhutto and offered Fateha for her and ANP leader Bashir Bilour who was assassinated last week.

In reply to a question, they said former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani briefed the meeting about the party’s standing in south Punjab. According to sources, a committee was constituted and Mr Gilani will look after the affairs related to the region, including development work and other issues.

The PPP leaders said the general election would be held 60 days after March 16, when the tenure of the assemblies would end.

“We welcome (Tehrik Minhajul Quran chief) Tahirul Qadri to the country and if he has any proposals regarding the polls, he should submit them to the Election Commission,” they said in reply to a question. He should contest the coming elections but decisions should not be imposed by force, they said.

When asked about Dr Qadri’s threat to launch a march on Islamabad, they said they had seen many such deadlines.

Senator Farhatullah Babar briefed the council about the progress made by a parliamentary committee led by him.