KARACHI, Dec 29: After the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, the Pakistan People’s Party is confronted with two important questions in the most defining moment of the country’s history. Who will lead the Pakistan People’s Party and what course of action the party must adopt for the upcoming polls scheduled for Jan 8?

These two questions would be topmost on the agenda of the central executive committee’s meeting to be held on Sunday in Naudero, said party sources.

The tragic incident has turned the country upside down and it has yet to be seen how things will unfold and how the cult of Bhutto will continue to dominate the political scene of the country after the assassination of the heir to the political legacy of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

Whatever decision the party would take about the leadership would also reflect whether or not the young Bhuttos would be able to set aside their family feuds to work for the ideals of their ancestor.

There are many options that are being discussed within the party while some vested interests are trying to play up the Sindhi Punjabi contradictions to take advantage of the leadership crisis within the PPP. The general perception within the party is that the experience of collective leadership which the party had had during the self-exile of Ms Bhutto should be allowed to continue and the focus should be more on the ideals of Bhutto rather than the personality cult. If this proposal is accepted then Makhdoom Amin Fahim will have a big challenge to steer his party through this crisis.

The other and much viable option with the PPP will be to put Asif Ali Zardari, husband of slain Benazir Bhutto, at the helm because he has played a key role in the selection of many office-bearers and party candidates for the election.

Mr Zardari, who served eight years in prison, has the reputation of not compromising for his release, but also famous for his skills of negotiations with the adversaries. Many believe that he had played a significant role in Ms Bhutto’s dealings with Nawaz Sharif, Maulana Fazlur Rehman and the establishment.

He has a strong hold over the party’s structure in Sindh and partly in Punjab; however, there are certain elements in the PPP who will not accept him with that zeal as was the case during the lifetime of Benazir Bhutto. Such elements might try to persuade Sanam Bhutto, the youngest daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, to take up the mantle. Sanam has remained aloof from the politics of her sister and brothers and if she accepted the responsibility it might bring the estranged Bhuttos closer but at the same time generate a new crisis.

The other possible option was to give the leadership to Aitzaz Ahsan, the firebrand advocate of supremacy of the judiciary and the constitution.

Although many people believe that after the announcement of 40 days of mourning by the PPP there was no possibility of the party contesting the Jan 8 elections, there are many who believe that the assassination of Benazir has created a political vacuum and if the Pakistan government goes ahead with the elections, then Pakistan People’s Party will emerge victorious by riding the popular support.

But much depends on the outcome of the assessment of the situation in meetings with major political leaders who are visiting Naudero to offer condolences.

The assassination of Benazir has not only created a serious void in Pakistani politics, it has also undermined the domestic platform for fighting terrorism and extremism. Benazir had assumed a very important position in the unfolding global strategy and the PPP’s leadership issue has to keep that in mind.