ISLAMABAD, 19 March 2008 — The party of slain Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto nominated yesterday a close associate of her widower to be Parliament’s first woman speaker, but divisions remained over who should be the next prime minister.
Fahmida Mirza, a businesswoman and three-time lawmaker, will become the first woman speaker of the National Assembly, or lower house, if approved as expected in a parliamentary vote today.
Her husband is a longtime confidant of Asif Ali Zardari, Benazir’s widower and now party leader, thought to have a final say over the party’s nominations. Fahmida is the daughter of late Abdul Majeed Abid, a former information minister and wife of Dr. Zulfikar Mirza, a lawmaker from Badin.
“For me there would be no government versus opposition ... As speaker, the whole house would be equal in my eyes,” Fahmida told reporters yesterday.
Faisal Karim Kundi, who defeated a pro-Taleban incumbent for his parliamentary seat in the country’s volatile northwest, was nominated by the party as deputy speaker.
Outgoing National Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain, who was the presiding officer, received nomination papers from the candidates for speaker and deputy speaker’s post.
The opposition named Asrar Tareen for the speaker’s post and Khushbakht Shujaat of the Muttaheda Qaumi Movement to be the deputy speaker.
“Broken institutions are being handed to us and Musharraf is keeping powers for himself,” said former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
“God willing, we will take those powers from him,” Sharif said late Monday at a dinner with lawmakers from his party.
With the second largest number of Parliament seats, Sharif’s followers have pledged to form a coalition government with Benazir’s Pakistan People’s Party, which won the largest number. It falls to the PPP to name a prime minister, and party spokesman Farhatullah Babar said yesterday an announcement would be made before a parliamentary vote by next week.
Neither Fahmida nor Kundi were mentioned as possible candidates for prime minister. But there is speculation that if Fahmida, who is from Sindh province, becomes speaker, the prime minister would likely hail from the largest province of Punjab.
The initial front-runner for the job, Makhdoom Amin Fahim, has expressed frustration that his nomination has not been announced. Shortly after Benazir’s Dec. 27 assassination in a suicide attack, Zardari told reporters that Benazir had wanted Fahim to be the party’s candidate for prime minister. “What have I done wrong to my party?” he said Saturday in an interview with Pakistan’s Express news channel.
On Monday, Fahim had to pass by banners near Parliament imploring him not to “betray” the party by insisting on the premiership — but still received a rousing welcome from fellow lawmakers in the house. Fahim said he would only stand aside for Zardari. “If Zardari wishes to become prime minister, I will propose his name,” he said.
— With input from agencies
