ISLAMABAD, Aug 22: The Pakistan People’s Party appears all set to get its co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari elected as president of the country, unless he himself decides against taking that post which will eventually be without any power or authority.
“All party members have unanimously nominated Mr Zardari for the presidency,” Information Minister Sherry Rehman told reporters after a meeting of the PPP Central Executive Committee (CEC) held at the Prime Minister’s House on Friday.
Senior leader Makhdoom Amin Fahim, who has been criticising PPP’s policies for some time and was against the impeachment of Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf, attended the meeting at the invitation of Mr Zardari.
Earlier in the day, the Sindh assembly adopted a resolution nominating Mr Zardari for the top post.
Ms Rehman said Mr Zardari had told the party members that he would take a decision on the matter in 24 hours.
Although the PPP has nominated Mr Zardari as its candidate, the matter will be taken up by the heads of parties in the ruling coalition, including the Pakistan Muslim League-N of former prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharif.
Sources told Dawn that the PML-N was not happy over the nomination of Mr Zardari because it wanted a non-political person at the top post and reportedly suggested the names of former chief justice Saeeduz Zaman Siddiqui, eminent lawyer Fakharuddin G. Ibrahim, PkMAP chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Ataullah Mengal of the BNP.
PML-N leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had stated on record that the president should be from on of the smaller provinces.
Mr Zardari himself had said in an interview to a private TV channel that he was not an aspirant to the office of the president. In the same interview, he hinted that the next president could be a woman.
Political analysts believe that if Mr Zardari becomes the president, questions may be raised about the impartiality of the office. They say Mr Zardari and the PPP will face severe criticism from various circles if he continues to run the party affairs while sitting in the Presidency.
They said that Farooq Khan Leghari on becoming the president had resigned from the PPP. And former president Pervez Musharraf faced criticism for presiding over and attending meetings of the PML-Q.
Habib Khan Ghori in Karachi adds: In the Sindh assembly, the resolution nominating Mr Zardari was tabled by Law Minister Ayaz Soomro and seconded by Shoaib Bokhari of the MQM.
It said Mr Zardari was the most suitable candidate for the office of president.
After brief speeches by members of all parties, including leader of the joint opposition in the assembly Jam Madad Ali, the resolution was put to vote by Speaker Nisar Ahmad Khuhro. The nomination of Mr Zardari was greeted by boisterous thumping of the desk.
Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah termed the resolution historic.
The resolution reads: “This assembly resolves that following the tragic Shahadat of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, Mr Asif Ali Zardari showed political wisdom and through his efforts and reconciliation, got coalition governments formed at the centre and in provinces. He, in consultation with and cooperation of coalition partners, through his political sagacity and acumen, restored true democracy in the country.
“Under the circumstances, Mr Asif Ali Zardari is the most suitable candidate for the office of President of Islamic Republic of Pakistan. This assembly supports him.”