Oppn parties nominate PPP leader for Pak PM

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s opposition parties on Monday nominated a senior leader Mukdhum Amin Fahim as a candidate for interim prime minister’s post to contest against ruling alliance candidate Shujaat Hussain following the dissolution of Zafarullah Jamali’s Cabinet.
Both Hussain and Fahim filed their nominations before the deadline ended for nominations on Monday.A special parliamentary session has been called on Tuesday to choose a new leader of parliament who will become interim prime minister, until the present finance minister Shoukat Aziz gets elected to the lower house to replace him.
Jamali, who resigned as prime minister following differences with President Pervez Musharraf, had announced Hussain’s name to replace him at the Parliamentary party meeting of the ruling PML(Q). While Hussain’s election is virtually a foregone conclusion as his party PML(Q) together with its allies has a simple majority, the election could help Fahim, a senior leader of Pakistan People’s Party, stake claim for post of leader of the Opposition, which the government recently accorded to Islamist alliance Mushahida Majlis Amal (MMA).
Fahim, who is also the chairman of the 14-party Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD), which includes deposed Premier Nawaz Sharif ’s party PML(N) has very slim chance against Hussain as MMA, which has around 60 members in the NA, has decided not to support him.
MMA said it would not support Fahim as his party PPP has proposed a Bill in the Parliament seeking repeal of Hudood law, a draconian legislation introduced by former military ruler Zia-ul-Haq limiting the rights of women.
In a counter move, MMA proposed the name of PML(N) leader Javed Hashmi who is currently serving a 20-year jail sentence for releasing an anonymous letter purportedly written by army men criticising Musharraf. The PML(N), however, decided to support Fahim and its top leaders Tehmina Daulatana and Nissar Ali Khan proposed the name of Fahim for the post, leaving MMA no choice but to abstain from voting.
According to ARD leaders Fahim will secure over 90 votes against MMA’s 60, which will certainly put pressure on the Speaker of the NA to accord the leader of the opposition status to Fahim.