There is one question that has been raised repeatedly since the February 18 polls in Pakistan. It is a question that has yet to receive a satisfactory answer, even though it is a question that could save Pakistan a fortune. Who will be the Prime Minister (PM) of Pakistan? The elections can be considered complete only after the outcome of by-elections is clear. Before that, however, the Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarian (PPPP) is expected to propose an interim candidate. So, it's make-or-break time for most senior political leaders of Pakistani politics. Parliament is expected to convene on March 17th without a new PM in place. A nomination should be put forward by March 20th. It will not be Zardari or Sharif as both of them are barred from contesting the election. It is likely to be a trusted PPPP friend of Zardari who is awaiting, perhaps, his own forthcoming victory in a by-election, which will lead to his dead wife's throne. With each passing day it seems more certain that Zardari will take over as PM. Since legal barriers prevent him from becoming PM, he is expected to run in a parliamentary by-election in May. His party allies are stating that there is a consensus that Zardari should take over the premiership. Not long ago, Zardari expressed little interest in becoming prime minister. He said that his party had more senior candidates like Makhdoom Amin Fahim. At that time senior vice chairman and president of PPP-parliamentarian, Fahim was seen as the frontrunner for Pakistan's next prime minister. But Zardari has now jumped in, and seems determined to cut short the dreams of other strong, well-positioned contenders like Makhdoom Amin Fahim and Chaudhary Aitzaz Ahsan. However, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz's (PML-N) President Shahbaz Sharif has offered unconditional support to Chaudhary Aitzaz Ahsan for contesting the by-election. He would like to see him run as a joing candidate of PPPP and PML-N. On the other hand, PML-N neglected the most senior party leader, Makhdoom Fahim, apparently because of his association with President Musharraf. The PPPP has denied that, however. The issue of Makhdoom Fahim's importance in PPPP rose when he was not found on the occasion while PPPP and PML-N had signed a joined declaration at Murree for forming a coalition government. Zardari announced that the PM nominee will be based on a concensus of the coalition partners. Hence, naming a prime minister has apparently turned into a difficult exercise for the PPPP leadership given the reservations that surfaced in Sharif's party over the candidacy of Makhdoom Ameen Fahim. It seems that they do not want any PM with good relations with President Musharraf. It could be a signal that the coalition government wants to clash with the president. An agonized Makhdoom Fahim is holding one-on-one meetings with Zardari and Sharif to satisfy them or maybe just to smooth their ruffled feathers over his dealings with Musharraf. He has lashed out at the party leadership for delaying a decision on the prime ministerial candidate and said there was a feeling among people that he was being humiliated and betrayed. Some people assume that Zardari does not want a prime minister with a strong political and religious background. Instead, they say he wants a weak prime minister that he can easily handle. It is also said that he favors former defense minister and Bhutto's relative Aftab Shaaban Mirani, for the premiership. Another surprising rumor is that Zardari will nominate his sister, Dr Azra Fazal Pechooho, as the interim premier who could end up serving only until her brother could step in. However, many analysts had anticipated this possibility by citing Dr. Azra as a “dark horse” for the position. In fact , Makhdoom Fahim is very right to claim that he is still a strong candidate for PM. First of all, Benazir Bhutto trusted him and knew that she could rely on him as a trusted adviser and executor of her plans on the ground during her nine years abroad. Hailing from the Hala area of southern Sindh Province, Makhdoom Fahim is the spiritual leader of Sarwari Jammat. His father, Makhdoom Talib-ul-Maula, was the founding member of the PPPP. Just like his father, he always has been with the PPPP and never changed his loyalties. Analysts said that under current circumstances, the prime minister should be from Sindh province because after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, Sindhis feel themselves deprived. Through this logic, the Punjabi roots of both Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Yousuf Raza Gilani could deprive them of premiership. Hailing from a powerful Qureshi family of the Multan district of Southern Punjab, Shah Mahmood Qureshi had been a senior PML (N) leader till 1993 when he parted ways with Sharif over differences on the post of Punjab Chief Minister. He then joined the PPPP. In 2002, Qureshi ran for the post of Prime Memebr but lost to Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali of PML (Q). He is now an Minister of Parliament from Multan. Yousuf Raza Gilani, a PPP vice chairman, also stands a slim chance of winning the premiership based on his Punjabi roots. Hailing from the Gilani family of Multan in Punjab, Yousuf Raza Gilani has been elected to parliament five times and served as the Speaker National Assembly during Bhutto's second stint as prime minister from 1993 to 1996. Another candidate is Ahmad Mukhtar, a PPPP veteran from Punjab province, who defeated the president of the pro-Musharraf PML-Q Shujaat Hussain in the elections. He is widely tipped to be interim prime minister. Since the PPPP has yet to announce the name of an interim premier, the internal conflict within the party has been highlighted. Though PPPP is claiming that it's almost a done deal, the party has declined to reveal the names of PM ,speaker and deputy speaker of the national assembly because of the sensitivity of the information. A PPPP spokesman clarified that it would not show its cards at once, but the nominations for key portfolios including the premiership would be revealed in phases. When the National Assembly is convened and the leader of the house is to be elected, people will know who the PM is. So, who would be the PM? Zardari and Sharif did not contest elections and perhaps they will not contest by-elections, either. In this case, they will go for ‘remote-control' of the premiership. Speculation is rife. The more we talk about this million dollar question, the more confused we get. The game is interesting. The political chessboard has been laid out and we can only await the outcome. __
