I knew from day one I would not be Pak PM,' says Fahim

Islamabad, Mar.23 : A heartbroken Makhdoom Amin Fahim revealed late on Saturday evening that Pakistan People's Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari had quashed his hopes of becoming the Prime Minister of Pakistan when he announced his nomination at Naudero on December 30, 2007.

Fahim said he knew very well that he would not be Zardari's final choice and remained in the race to honour the wishes of his martyred leader, Benazir Bhutto, who always wanted to see him as the prime minister in her absence.

Amid the most testing time of his political life, Fahim in an emotional tone recounted how 40 years ago, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had personally come to meet him in London, with the invitation to convince his mighty father Makhdoom Talibul Moula to join his party and he had achieved this Herculean task of making his father join Bhutto.

"The PPP is in my blood, it was formed at Hala and I can't think of causing any harm to this party by creating any rift," The News quoted Faheem, as saying.

"Listen, I had told Asif Zardari at Zardari House in very frank words last week that I would not vote for the prime minister he would nominate, come what may. But now I would go to parliament only to vote for Yousuf Raza Gilani," he added.

When asked whether he would go to the parliament house for the last time to vote for Gilani, and would otherwise stay away from parliament, Makhdoom replied that he would not say anything about his future role or whether he would go to parliament.

His continuous reluctance to reply to whether he would go to parliament for the last time, gave a clear idea that Amin Fahim would not return to the assembly in the near future and might adopt a low profile political and personal life.

Fahim also made it clear that he would not accept any government office in the PPP government but he refused to give any commitment about his elder son.

In an interview with The News some days ago, Fahim had openly said that he was being humiliated, insulted and betrayed by the party. But he did not repeat these words on Saturday.

"The office of prime minister is not so big for me that I should be desperate for it. I want to see the PPP a strong party and will not create any rift at this stage," he said.

ANI