Fahim holds secret talks with
top Generals as Benazir clears him to be new Prime Minister
Special
SAT Report
LONDON:
Secret talks were held between PPP leader, Makhdoom Amin Fahim
of Hala and top Generals, including Chief of Staff of General
Pervez Musharraf before he flew out at around midnight on Thursday
for London to discuss the formation of the new PPP-Led Government
with Benazir Bhutto and MQM leader Altaf Hussain.
Informed
sources revealed that Amin Fahim’s discussions with the
Generals followed growing pressure within the military junta to
honor the election results, though they may be embarrassing for
General Pervez Musharraf himself as he will now be forced to share
power with a party with massive following, despite maximum efforts
of his government to prop up a King’s Party.
In
a shrewd political move Benazir Bhutto gave clearance to Amin
Fahim to become the next Prime Minister, if her party emerged
as the single largest party in the House. She also conveyed this
message to the military Generals and the ISI.
The
thaw between the PPP and the Generals was reported after a crucial
Corps Commanders Meeting on Oct 7 in which the military commanders
told General Pervez Musharraf clearly that the mandate of the
voters had to be respected.
Analysts
were of the opinion that the readiness of the military to accept
the PPP as a possible lead party in the new government could weaken
General Musharraf’s position within the ruling junta.
Another
major factor which will further weaken General Musharraf’s
position is the strong emergence of the religious parties in the
polls, for the first time in Pakistan, specially against Musharraf’s
pro-US policies and his outright condemnation of the religious
right.
Makhdoon
Amin Fahim will dash back straight to Islamabad after a brief
stay of about 12 hours in the UK Capital. His meeting with the
MQM leader could be of a crucial nature as it would set the pattern
for the independents to join a PPP-led coalition government. The
independent winners will have three days to join a party, a move
which apparently was made by General Musharraf to pull all of
them to the King’s Party before they could do any bargaining
or deals with any one else.
PPP
circles expect some relief to Asif Ali Zardari and Benazir Bhutto
if headway is made in the PPP-MQM talks to form a coalition government.
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