Succession war in PPP hots up

The successor to Benazir Bhutto could be decided in the next 24 hours when the Pakistan People's Party's (PPP's) central executive committee meets in Karachi.

The government has ruled out postponement of the general election and the PPP is more than eager to face a contest it assesses it will sweep.

Four faces are likely to be considered. One is Bhutto's sister Sanam, who lives in London, but is not on the party's executive body.

A big group in the party favours Bhutto's husband, Asif Zardari, who has been active in electoral politics only since 1990 but has been in the PPP from several years before that. However, the strongest claim is that of the PPP vice-chairman, Makhdoom Amin Fahim, who was the party's candidate against Gen Pervez Musharraf.

Makhdoom, who has been running the party since Bhutto's exile, has been nursing hope of becoming prime minister.

Fahim had a chance of becoming the chief minister of Sind in 1990s but Bhutto turned down his claim, possibly sensing competition from him.

It is also possible that to consolidate its base in Punjab, the party may choose a Punjabi. Qasim Zia, the party's Punjab unit chief, could be pushed to the top post with the help of the party's Punjab unit.

As the Bhutto family would not like the party to slip out of its hands, a suggestion that an interim chairman be appointed till Bhutto's son, Bilawal, is old enough to take over may also come up.