JEDDAH, 9 March 2008 — The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is unable to select a parliamentary leader due to one person’s objection and his backdoor pressure tactics to gain nomination, says Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, a frontrunner in the race for prime minister.
“I have the support of all party workers, members of the National Assembly and the PPP leadership to take over as the party’s parliamentary leader and only one person, Makhdoom Amin Fahim, is opposing my candidature for prime minister,” Mukhtar, who is a senior PPP leader, told Arab News in telephone conversation from Islamabad.
The PPP has emerged as the single largest party after Feb. 18 general elections in Pakistan and its parliamentary leader will be the next prime minister.
Mukhtar is optimistic that the party will resolve this issue. “I have full faith in Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari and other party leaders. I will honor their decision. And this is what I expect from Amin Fahim too,” Mukhtar said.
For the last two days, Islamabad has been buzzing with rumors that the PPP central executive committee is vying to have Mukhtar as prime minister.
Referring to Amin Fahim’s statement on some TV channels declaring his candidacy for prime minister, Mukhtar said he should not have done that and waited for the party’s decision.
Mukhtar said: “Amin Fahim knows that he does not have the support of the top party leadership and MNAs. That is why he has been indulging in pressure tactics, which will not work.”
Mukhtar, a veteran politician from Punjab, who defeated Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid) chief and former Prime Minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain on his home turf with a margin of over 16,000 votes, said Pakistan’s prosperity, peace and stability is very important for the region and the Muslim Ummah, who look “at us with great admiration and expectation and want us to grow steadily but surely and become a world power.”
He said that Pakistan was passing through a very crucial phase and its future would depend on how its leaders tackled the present law and order situation, inflation and unrest in the border region.
“If I am elected the PPP’s leader and take over as prime minister of the country, my first priority would be to improve the law and order situation. I will prefer dialogue with those disgruntled elements, who are spreading militancy,” he added.
“The previous government used force to bring about peace and stability to the country. But it did not work. Force is not the solution. The remedy for militancy lies in continued dialogue and political process. After all they are our own people and reconciliation with them is needed,” Mukhtar said.
Talking about rising inflation, Mukhtar, a prominent industrialist, who served as commerce minister in 1993, said that he had made import and export of cotton easy and duty free during his stint as commerce minister.
“I will take some revolutionary measures to combat inflation. I will make the import and export of sugar duty free to improve the situation,” he added.
Mukhtar, who regularly meets foreign diplomats, said they have no role to play in the formation of the next government. But “since they are from friendly countries, they are genuinely concerned and come to meet us to show solidarity to our country.”
“One thing is sure that all of them want democracy to flourish in Pakistan,” Mukhtar said.
