Islamabad, June 21 (IANS) Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has formally named Makhdoom Shahabuddin as the candidate of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) for the post of prime minister, state television reported Thursday.
PTV said another PPP leader, Raja Pervez Ashraf, will file nomination papers as a covering candidate.
The decision was taken after Zardari held hectic consultations with PPP leaders, members of parliament and leaders of allied parties over the past two days, said Xinhua.
Shahabuddin, textile minister in the cabinet of Yousuf Raza Gilani who was disqualified by the Supreme Court, will file his nomination papers Thursday in the National Assembly Secretariat.
The election for the prime minister will be held at 5.30 p.m. Friday during a special session of the National Assembly.
The PPP and its allies enjoy majority in the 342-member lower house of parliament.
Shahabuddin, born in 1947, hails from Punjab province and has served as minister in several cabinets, including during the regime of then prime minister Benazir Bhutto.
Analysts told Xinhua that by nominating Shahabuddin, the PPP wants to strengthen its position in Punjab, the country’s biggest province that plays a key role in government formation.
Shahabuddin belongs to a spiritual family and is a custodian of the shrine of a Sufi saint.
The main opposition party, Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) has also decided to field Mehtab Khan Abbasi, a former minister and a key leader from northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, as its candidate for the post of prime minister.
