ISLAMABAD — For the first time in Pakistan’s parliamentary history chiefs of major parties will not assume public office. The Pakistan People’s Party with the support of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), Awami National Party, Balochistan National Party and Muttaheda Qaumi Movement, is in a position to form governments in the center and at least two provinces.
But its co-chairman, Asif Ali Zardari, does not intend to become prime minister. “I will not assume any public office for the next 10 years,” he told Arab News adding, “there is no dearth of leaders in our party who can run the country.”
Though Makhdoom Amin Fahim is being tipped as the next prime minister by many close associates of Zardari, the PPP has not officially announced its nominee for the post of the prime minister.
Nawaz Sharif, a two-time prime minister and leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (N), has also declined to accept any public office and said he would be the parliamentary leader at the national level while his younger brother Shahbaz Sharif will be the parliamentary leader in Punjab. Although both have not contested elections, they will be elected to the Parliament by contesting by-polls.
Top leaders of Awami National Party and People’s Party have decided to form a coalition government in NWFP, ANP provincial chief Afrasiyab Khattak said.
In Sindh where the PPP has emerged as the single largest party, it is considering forming a coalition with the MQM.
PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar told AFP yesterday that his party was in talks with the MQM, which participated in government from 2002 to 2007 and enjoys large support in southern Sindh province, a traditional PPP stronghold.
“The Pakistan People’s Party wants to take all political forces along to form the government and is discussing the possibility of cooperating with the MQM,” Babar said.
“Consultations are going on within the party and there are different opinions about whether to cooperate with MQM or not, but nothing has been finalized,” Babar said.
He refused to reveal the coalition’s plans for Musharraf, who has become unpopular as basic commodity prices soar and deadly attacks blamed on Al-Qaeda and Taleban rebels escalate.
“You cannot impeach him right now because you don’t have two-thirds majority in the National Assembly and the Senate. Since we cannot do it now, there is no need to say anything about it,” Babar said.
Sharif, however, has widely criticized US support for Musharraf, and his party’s spokesman Siddique-ul Farooq told AFP yesterday that Washington was urging the PPP not to remove Musharraf.
“There is a lot of back-channel diplomatic pressure on the PPP to join hands with the PML-Q as the Bush administration does not want Musharraf’s ouster,” he said. “But the people of Pakistan will never forgive any deviation of their verdict now,” he added.
— With input from agencies
