Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said at a rally of his supporters in Thatta, Sindh province, on Sunday, that he had rejected a power-sharing formula of a rotational PM every two years, The Dawn reported.
“I was told [by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz] that let us be the prime minister for three years and then you can take the premiership for the remaining two years,” he said adding that “I said no to this. I said I do not want to be a prime minister like this. If I become the prime minister, it would be after the people of Pakistan elect me.”
He said it would be best for the country if his father Asif Ali Zardari became the new president, given the economic and political crisis gripping the country.
“To control the fire spreading in the country, we have decided that Zardari will be our candidate for the presidential election. And when he takes up the post, he will put out this fire, and will save the Centre and the provinces,” Bilawal said.
Multiple formulas
Reacting to Bhutto’s comments, PML-N leader Ishaq Dar said that plans were still on to form a united government with the PPP and Muttahida Qaumi Movement – Pakistan.
The former finance minister said the committees of both political parties had held four rounds of meetings so far, but nothing has been finalised. He claimed that Zardari’s revelations of a power-sharing formula were one of the many that have been tabled in the dialogues that have taken place so far.
“I don’t think it’s appropriate to divulge any more detail about this. Bilawal made the time-sharing formula public but that was just one aspect and there can be more formulas,” he added.
So far, the talks between the PML-N and PPP have remained inconclusive, though both sides claimed “significant progress”.
