PPP endorses Fahim for Pakistan PM

Islamabad, Feb 23: Elected members from the Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians (PPP) decided on Friday that Makhdoom Amin Fahim would be their candidate for prime minister and that the National Assembly (NA) would decide the fate of the judges sacked on November 3, party sources said.

In a meeting at the Zardari House in Islamabad, they also vowed an end to the presidential powers to dismiss assemblies, a PPP press release said. According to the Daily Times, the party decided to address the removal of judges by President Pervez Musharraf on November 3 through a resolution in the National Assembly. The resolution, they said, would give complete financial and administrative independence to the judiciary.

Amin Fahim told the meeting that General Zia-ul- Haq had offered to make him the Governor of Punjab and President Pervez Musharraf had offered him the seat of prime minister, but he rejected the offers because of his commitment to democracy.

Zardari briefed the meeting on his contacts with other political parties to form a government of national consensus.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Finance Secretary Pervaiz Malik told the Daily Times that his party would not accept anything short of the restoration of the sacked judges.

ANI