PPP faces split over premiership

Mukhtar's name for PM’s post adds a new twist

ISLAMABAD: Three weeks after the general elections in Pakistan, the Zardari-led Pakistan Peoples Party faces threat of an imminent split on the issue of the nomination of the future prime minister as the front runner — Makhdoom Ameen Faheem — has warned Zardari against taking an unpopular decision that could divide the party eventually.

Who will become Pakistan’s next prime minister? A question that seemed simple enough to answer about a week back has become a controversial one in the last few days.

Makhdoom had been the obvious natural choice for the top slot hardly a week ago. He seemed to enjoy full confidence of the party chairperson.

However, all of a sudden, Zardari’s close friend Ch Ahmed Mukhtar’s name was added last week to the usual roster of names for the slot of premiership — giving a new twist to the guessing game.

Makhdoom shot back on Saturday, saying that almost 90 per cent people of Pakistan wanted to see him as the next prime minister and Zardari could go for a referendum on this issue to gauge his popularity.

On the other hand, Ch Ahmed Mukhtar stated publicly on Saturday that he would be the country’s next prime minister and that Makhdoom should follow the party discipline.
Some PPP insiders say Zardari’s decision to take his prime minister from the Punjab is apparently meant to lift the PPP in the majority province where it has been unable to form the government even once after 1977.