Zardari puts trust in Shahabuddin for PM’s slot

Following hectic in-house discussions and consultations with the allies of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), President Asif Ali Zardari late on Wednesday night nominated Makhdoom Shahabuddin for prime minister’s slot, which fell vacant after the Supreme Court disqualified Yousaf Raza Gilani for committing contempt of court.
Shahab, who hails from South Punjab, has been associated with the PPP for over two decades. During his political career, he held several ministerial positions. The names of Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar, Hina Rabbani Khar and Khurshid Shah were also being discussed for the top government office, but Shahab won the race.
Zardari has also nominated Raja Pervez Ashraf as a covering candidate for Shahab, who will file his nomination papers today. The election for the vacant slot of the prime minister will be held tomorrow (Friday). The PPP’s allies –Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), Awami National Party (ANP) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) – had given President Zardari the mandate to nominate a candidate for the PM’s office.
Zardari spent the last two days in feverish crisis talks with allies and his party comrades to select a consensus candidate. He also called up Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Fazlur Rehman on Wednesday to convince him to support the government in this hour of need. The main opposition party – PML-Nawaz (PML-N) – was also not far behind. Contrary to senior party leader and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s Tuesday claim that his side had no intention to run for the PM, the PML-N announced to nominate Sardar Mehtab Abbassi as its candidate for the top slot. The PML-N leadership also contacted the JUI-F chief to convince him to support the party against the government. Already halfway through the election year, the PPP-led coalition finds it difficult to handle the crises facing the country. During these hard times, the fate of the new prime minister will certainly not be different from his predecessor Gilani who sacrificed his office to prove his loyalty to the party, as he “wilfully” refused to obey the Supreme Court’s orders on writing a letter to Swiss authorities for reopening corruption cases against Zardari, the co-chairman of the PPP.
Shahab will also have no choice but to comply with the SC’s order, and in case he too disregards the court order, he is likely to face a similar case of contempt of court and consequently disqualification, which he, already being in mid-60s, is likely to accept and end his political career with a show of loyalty to his party and leadership. The dividends of this sacrifice will surely benefit his political heirs.
Soon after his nomination, Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), the official news agency, released a news item in defence of Shahab, clarifying his position in the ephedrine case. The APP story said that Shahabuddin, the then minister for health, had given firm assurance to the National Assembly on February 4, 2011, while responding to a calling attention notice to constitute a joint investigation team comprising six members.
“I have directed the Secretary Ministry of Health to constitute a joint investigation team of two credible and competent officers, each from Ministry of Narcotics Control, Anti-Narcotics Force and Ministry of Health.
The investigation team will submit its report of the two firms which were given illegal quota of Ephedrine,” APP quoted him as saying. According to the APP report, the then health minister had said that the ministry had been directed that all such materials/documents which had been used in the illegal process might be confiscated/seized. M/s Berlex Lab International Multan had obtained permit on March 25, 2010, for 6,000 kilogramme Ephedrine and on September 22, 2010, 500 kg Ephedrine from the Ministry of Health, and this allocation was for export purposes. M/s Danas Pharmaceutical Islamabad had obtained allocation of 1,500 kg of Ephedrine on April 15, 2010, for export purposes. Iftikhar Ahmed Khan Baber, chief executive of M/s Berlex Lab International Multan, and Ansar Farooq Chaudhry, chief executive of M/s Danas Pharmaceutical Pvt Ltd Lahooti Group Islamabad, had obtained these export allocations for the controlled chemical Ephedrine by using influence of high offices. Later on this Ephedrine was sold out to local manufacturers. The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) is investigating the Rs 7 billion drug scam, and a case is pending with the Supreme Court of Pakistan which involves Ali Musa Gilani, the son of former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani.