Musharraf's allies withdraw PM candidate

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Allies of President
Pervez Musharraf withdrew their candidate for Pakistan's prime
minister, clearing the way for whomever is nominated Saturday by the
new parliamentary majority to run for premier uncontested.

Musharraf's supporters said their decision was a
"good will gesture" to slain opposition leader Benazir Bhutto's
followers, who won the most parliamentary seats in elections last
month. It was the biggest indication yet that Musharraf and his
loyalists were willing to cooperate with a new Pakistani government
dominated by their opponents.

Makhdoom Amin Fahim, an aristocratic party
stalwart, has long been considered the front-runner for prime minister.
As vice-chair of the Pakistan People's Party, he led Bhutto's followers
in parliament during her nearly eight-year exile.

But the party has stalled on nominating Fahim
amid speculation that Asif Ali Zardari, Bhutto's husband and political
heir, wants the job. He is currently ineligible because he does not
hold a parliamentary seat. However, he could appoint a stand-in and run
for a seat in a by-election within months.

The battle for prime minister has strained party
unity -- even before it forms a coalition government that faces massive
challenges including a wave of Islamic militancy, high inflation and
electricity shortages.

The new administration will be led by followers
of Bhutto and another ex-premier, Nawaz Sharif, who was ousted in
Musharraf's 1999 coup. A confrontation still looms between Musharraf
and Sharif, who has been one of the most vocal in calling for the
unpopular president's resignation or impeachment.

Zardari and Bhutto's 19-year-old son are
expected to announce a candidate Saturday evening, ahead of a vote two
days later in parliament. After confirmation by parliament, the new
premier is set to take an oath from Musharraf on Tuesday, said
presidential spokesman Rashid Qureshi.

Bhutto's son was appointed party chairman after
his mother died in a December suicide attack, but his father is running
things while the 19-year-old continues his studies at Oxford University.

A Friday editorial in one of Pakistan's main
English-language dailies, The News, decried the PPP's "bitter
infighting" and "clumsy manner" in which the choice of a premier has
been conducted.

"The plan from the Zardari camp seems to be
based around the rather optimistic premise that Fahim may not be
willing to confront young Bilawal, both because of his age and because
of the emotional standing he carries as the son of the slain Benazir
Bhutto," the editorial said.

Musharraf allies decided to withdraw their
candidate, Farooq Sattar, late Friday after meetings in London and
Karachi, said lawmaker Haider Abbas Rizvi.

"The decision was made as a good will gesture and in the larger interest of the country," Rizvi told The Associated Press.

Thanks:Rab

Source:usatoday.com