ISLAMABAD, June 29: In the relay race for the prime minister's office, the first speech of the elected prime minister, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain , on the floor of the House on Tuesday did not mention any specific time-frame when the baton would be handed over to the next runner, the prime minister-in-waiting, Shaukat Aziz.

Nominated as the senior minister, Mr Aziz sat on the sidelines and listened attentively to the first speech of Mr Hussain as Leader of the House. Later, parliamentarians from the Opposition benches pointed out the obvious omission in Mr Shujaat's speech in corner meetings with the media.

However, when asked if everything went according to the script, a senator from the ruling party and a close confidant of the prime minister-elect said, "Yes. So far there is no change and the script is being followed."

PPP-Parliamentarians leader, Amin Fahim, gave an indication in his speech of whom he believed to be the script writer. When he started his address, it sparked an immediate reaction in the press gallery with many an eager journalist trying to know if the Freudian slip of addressing Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain as Chaudhry Tariq Aziz was deliberate or innocent.

The ruling party's hiccups in implementing a process of change were also highlighted before the allied parties lent support to the prime minister elect. Mr Hussain and Senator Mushahid Hussain were seen escorting the members of PPP-Patriots to the parliamentary party meeting amid hot speculation that differences had taken place over division of ministries in the wheeling dealings for the expanded cabinet.

However, the crisis was short lived and Rao Sikander Iqbal and Faisal Saleh Hayat walked into the meeting on the request of Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and later voted for him on the basis of assurance for continuing the cabinet of Mr Jamali.

The division of spoils is not the only challenge facing the ruling party, besides getting Mr Aziz elected from a safe seat. From all the safe heavens in the country, behind the scenes manoeuvring has resulted in some understanding between MQM and the PML to get Mr Aziz elected from Karachi.

The only property Mr Aziz holds in Pakistan is in Karachi besides getting his early education from there. A PML ticket for Mr Aziz in Karachi's by- elections is on the roadmap, unless the MQM has some other ideas for future.

The treasury benches were given a taste of things to come when Leader of the Opposition, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, tried to politically lynch Mr Aziz for his American connections and a lack of experience in Pakistan's street politics. The MMA leader sent out a message of preferring Shujaat Hussain as prime minister instead of Mr Aziz and expressed the desire to see him complete the tenure.

With the astute politician in Mr Hussain getting support of the majority in the treasury and some from the opposition benches, alarm bells would start ringing for what can be done with loyal support of majority of the parliamentarians from across the party divide on one point agenda to strengthen democracy and save the parliament.

That's precisely what Mr Jamali said while explaining the reason for his resignation...saving democracy and the parliament. However, what he did not specify were the threats and the quarters from which the threats emanated to the system.