NewsThursday, March 13, 2008
Fahim says he has no differences with Zardari
* PPP vice-chairman says there is no ‘deadlock’ on premiership issue
* Criticises party for not taking stand on Khawaja Asif’s remarksBy Sajjad Malik
ISLAMABAD: A meeting aimed at bridging the differences between Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and Vice-Chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim over the premiership nomination ended without any positive results on Wednesday. However, Fahim told a private TV channel that there were no differences between him and Zardari regarding the party’s choice of a candidate for the slot of prime minister. Talking to Geo News after meeting Zardari, Fahim said he and Zardari were good friends and were in the same political party. He said they had shared a meal and there was no ‘deadlock’ between them. Fahim said he was a solid candidate for premiership. He said the final decision on PPP’s candidate for prime minister would be made after consultation, adding that the next four days were crucial. According to sources, Zardari took Fahim into confidence over the charges being made against him and the “viewpoints” of various party members. The party co-chairman arranged the meeting, held at Zardari House. Sources privy to the meeting quoted Fahim as telling Zardari that while Benazir Bhutto had been alive, there had been no question about who would be premier. However, he said that it was his right to be nominated as prime minister after her death. The sources claimed that Fahim had left without eating. According to Online, Fahim told Zardari that the PML-N allegations levelled against him, coupled with an ongoing conspiracy by leading party members had hurt his self-esteem. He said that if Zardari would openly announce his candidacy for the premiership post, he would unconditionally withdraw his nomination. He also assured Zardari that he would continue to serve the PPP to the best of his ability. No stand: Dawn News, meanwhile, quoted Fahim as saying that he had expected the PPP to take a stand against Khawaja Asif’s remarks questioning his (Fahim’s) political integrity. He said that had somebody made such remarks about Nawaz or Shahbaz Sharif, the PML-N would have taken strong exception to it. Fahim told Dawn News that political parties should not rock the boat by adopting a ‘non-negotiable’ stance on the controversial issues. He also reiterated that he had met President Pervez Musharraf with the consent of slain PPP chairwoman Benazir Bhutto. Fahim said that he met Zardari daily and would continue to do so. He said PML-N leader Makhdoom Javed Hashmi had apologised for Khawaja Asif’s remarks, which was a great and noble gesture for which he (Fahim) was grateful. According to Dawn News, Fahim said he would meet Zardari again on Thursday.
Courtesy Daily Times