With Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirming his support, Asif Ali Zardari is set to be the President of Pakistan, in what Indian intelligence sources called “the best formula their army wanted".
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairman and former Pakistan President Zardari, 68, will be the candidate of the allied parties in the presidential election on March 9, Sharif said on Friday, confirming CNN-News18’s report. According to sources, all allied parties comprising the ruling coalition — MQMP, PMLN, IPP, BAP, PPP and PMLQ – have confirmed their support.
In a statement, Sharif said Zardari’s presence in office will make it easier for the ruling government to pass bills and move the economy forward. Sharif is known for his good relationship with the Pakistan army and with Zardari in Presidential office, they will have their way.
Zardari will fight this election with Mahmood Khan Achakzai nominated by Sunni Ittehad Council.
CNN-News18 was the first to report the power-sharing deal between PMLN and PPP after the elections.
Indian intelligence sources said: “This is the best formula that the army wanted and it is being implemented. This is a compromise formula to keep Imran Khan and Nawaz Sharif out of the game."
Zardari and his rival ethnic Pashtun politician Achakzai on Saturday filed their nominations for the presidential election.
Zardari also served as the president from 2008 to 2013. Achakzai, 75, from Balochistan, is the chief of the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party and was nominated by Khan, the jailed leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. In Parliament, Achakzai would be supported by the Sunni Ittehad Council, the new home of the PTI-backed independent lawmakers.
The new president will replace Dr Arif Alvi, who completed a five-year term last year. However, in the absence of the electoral college required to elect the president, Alvi is still in office.
The president is elected by an electoral college comprising members of the Senate, the National Assembly, and the four provincial assemblies. Voting is held through a secret ballot in Parliament and four provincial assemblies. The president is the ceremonial head of the state and enjoys limited powers as he acts on the advice of the prime minister.
With PTI Inputs
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