Though names of would-be chief ministers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Balochistan have almost been finalised, the name of would-be chief minister of Sindh is still being kept under the wraps with some party leaders stating that there was a stand-off between President Asif Zardari and PPPP President Makhdoom Amin Fahim who both wanted their nominees to get the prized slot, Pakistan Today has learnt.
The Pakistan People’s Party has emerged as the largest party in Sindh Assembly by winning 68 seats, followed by 37 of MQM.
A source in the PPP said Fahim was pressing to get his brother, Makhdoom Rafiquz Zaman, named chief minister of Sindh and he had been lobbying in this regard within the PPP to win maximum political support.
“Fahim has held two successive meeting with President Asif Ali Zardari in the past two days. He says that his family has since long served the party but they have never been given the top slot either in Sindh or the Centre. He is claiming that this time around, his brother should be accommodated as per commitment made by Zardari, who had visited Hala in year 2010-11 to woo Rafiquz Zaman who had parted ways with the PPP,” the source said.
The source added that former chief minister Qaim Ali Shah, Syed Khurshid Shah and some other senior party MPs were also supporting Fahim.
However, a source close to Zardari said Mir Hazar Khan Bajarani could prove to be a dark horse as he had been given a word by the president to handle Sindh’s affairs.
“In past, Bajarani has never contested from Sindh Assembly seat and he has always been elected as member of National Assembly. However, this time around, he submitted papers for only Sindh Assembly constituency on orders of Zardari,” the source said, adding that the president wanted a man of his choice as the Sindh CM as he would be the de-facto Sindh CM after completion of his tenure in September this year.
Another PPP leader from Sindh said Owais Muzaffar Tappi, half-brother of President Asif Ali Zardari, was also lobbying for his nomination for the top slot in Sindh.
“The press conference by Manzoor Wassan held on Wednesday was a part of the same plan, trying to put pressure on Makhdoom Amin Fahim to withdraw his assertion for his son, as it was Benazir Bhutto’s wish to name a young and dynamic person as the Sindh chief minister,” the source added.
Wassan had told reporters in Karachi that he had a dream in which late Benazir Bhutto had told him that a young and nice-looking leader would be the [next] chief minister of Sindh. Moreover, Sharjeel Memon is another aspirant for the top slot and he is pushing for the crown as well.
“Memon has the backing of some heavyweights like Dr Fehmida Mirza and Dr Zulfiqar Mirza. Besides, there are around half a dozen MPs who are backing him,” the source added.
When contacted, Taj Haider, a PPP veteran, expressed ignorance about the new chief minister of Sindh, but said the new Sindh chief minister should be young, dynamic and seasoned who could introduce good governance in Sindh.
“Only the president and Makhdoom Amin Fahim can give you the name,” he said.
“One thing I know. If we could not deliver this time around in Sindh, we could also be wiped out from Sindh,” he said.