The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of
assassinated former premier Benazir Butto on Friday nominated her widower, Asif
Ali Zardari, as its candidate to succeed Pervez Musharraf as president of Pakistan.
Information Minister Sherry Rehman told reporters in Islamabad that the
leadership of the PPP, the country's largest political party, had unanimously
proposed Zardari.
Musharraf, who ran Pakistan for almost nine years, initially as military ruler,
resigned his post on Monday after being threatened with impeachment by
parliament.
Rehman emphasized, however, that Zardari had yet to make up his mind whether he
wanted to contest the presidential elections, set for September 6.
"He will make an announcement in this regard within the next 24
hours," she said.
The PPP announcement came hours after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)
set the date for the election. Nomination papers would be accepted on August
26, ECP head Kunwar Dilshad said.
Zardari's nomination could deepen rifts in the ruling coalition, which took
power after defeating Musharraf's political allies in February 18 elections.
The second largest party in the alliance, Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz
(PML-N), has indicated its preference for a candidate without political
affiliations, preferably from a smaller province.
The wrangling between the two major parties, the left-wing PPP and the
right-wing PML-N, has intensified on several issues, including on the
restoration of judges.
The PML-N on Friday pushed forward a deadline for the reinstatement of more
than 60 judges sacked by Musharraf.
"Our position on the issue is that a resolution should be tabled in the
parliament on Monday and after a debate of two days, it should be passed on
Wednesday followed by the reinstatement of judges the same day," PML-N
head Nawaz Sharif said in Islamabad
"We certainly do not desire to part away (from the PPP), we want the
coalition to remain intact," Sharif added.
He had earlier said that his party would pull out of the coalition if the
judges, including deposed chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, were not restored by
Friday.
The PML-N has argued for immediate restoration of more than 60 judges through a
parliamentary resolution followed by an executive order, while the PPP
reportedly wants the reinstatement of all the judges except Chaudhry.
The independent-minded former chief justice, once back in the office, could
reverse the amnesty granted to Bhutto's widower by Musharraf over corruption
charges.
Zardari was detained for more than 11 hours over these charges, which have not
been proved in court.
The deadline might be extended by a couple of days, said Maulana Fazalur
Rehman, a junior coalition partner, who has been mediating between the two
major parties on the issue.
"But the restoration of judges should take place within the next
week," he added.
The squabbling between the parties has disappointed the public as well as Pakistan's Western allies who want political stability so that the government can focus on
problems like Islamic militancy and an economic meltdown.
Three suicide bombers struck Thursday outside a military-run weapons factory in
the town of Wah, some 30 kilometres north-west of Islamabad, killing 70 and
injuring more than 100.
Islamic militants in the country's tribal areas, which contain sanctuaries for
al-Qaeda and Taliban militants targeting US-led NATO forces in Afghanistan, claimed responsibility for the bombing, warning more such actions will follow.
Pakistan's stock markets initially welcomed Musharraf's resignation but
suffered a downward slide in the following days as the coalition partners
locked horns on the judges issue.
The Pakistani rupee plunged Friday to a record low, trading at 77.10 against
the dollar, dpa reported.
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