Friday, February 22, 2008 (Islamabad)


Pakistan Peoples Party on Friday met to choose prime minister but the big question remains, can PPP's co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and former PM and PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif work together.They've joined hands, but will it translate into a stable, workable government that will last? Asif Ali Zardari has ruled himself out of the PM race and now, the frontrunner is Makhdoom Amin Fahim. But alternatives are already coming up like Aitzaz Ahsan, the senior PPP leader who shook Musharraf by leading the lawyers' protests.''I endorse the stand of Nawaz Sharif that if anyone should be made the PM, it should be Aitzaz Ahsan. I regret to say that the Bush administration is still backing General Pervez Musharraf. They want to ensure his continuance in office and want other parties to support him,'' said Imran Khan, Chairman, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. ''I thought there should have been more decisive response from the two leaders. There was ambiguity over how they will tackle issues,'' said Mushahid Husain, Secretary General, PML-Q.So, the PPP and the PML-N are walking on eggshells and trying to find common ground on looming political challenges like the demand for restoring the judges.They have both said Musharraf should see the writing on the wall, but with American backing and Musharraf determined to stay in power, Pakistanis are gearing up for clash between president and Parliament.