Rabbani Khar faces partyman's challenge in her constituency

, Aug 13:

Foreign Minister

was facing a challenge from within the Pakistan People's Party (

) after party leader and parliamentarian Jamshed Dasti said he would contest the next general election from Muzaffargarh, her constituency in Punjab.

Dasti also offered to replace Raja Pervez Ashraf, the current prime minister of Pakistan if the latter was disqualified by the Supreme Court for not reviving graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari. He said if the party selected him, he would take great pride in becoming the third prime minister of the current National Assembly.

Dasti, who is known to have strong grassroot support, said it was not his decision but the popular voice. He said Khar had visited her constituency only four times and local people approached him for their problems.

Meanwhile, reports said Khar could step aside to make way for her father, Ghulam Noor Rabbani Khar, to contest the next poll from her constituency. Khar contested the 2008 election after her father failed to contest the polls owing to a rule that barred candidates who were not graduates.

Dasti said he was ready to contest either of the Khars or anybody else in the next election and would contest as an independent candidate if the PPP did not give him a ticket. Saying he would not succumb to any pressure from the PPP leadership not to contest an election, Dasti said he was looking for support from parties like the PML-N or Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.

Dasti also took a dig at Hina Khar saying the latter was showing a defeatist attitude by telling people that she would not contest the poll if the party didn't give her a ticket. Dasti has been known to have an old rivalry with the Khars. In 2008, Dasti defeated Hina's uncle Ghulam Mustafa Khar, the former Governor of Punjab, to be elected to the National Assembly.

Dasti was disqualified for his allegedly fake educational degree but he was re-elected in the by-polls.

OneIndia News

(With PTI inputs)