Roving Periscope: Courtesy his bete noire Nawaz, Zardari to return as President!
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Call it an irony, or a quirk of fate. Mian Mohammed Nawaz Sharif, whose party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), had once denounced then President Asif Ali Zardari (2008-13) as “Mr. Ten Percent,” and agitated against his alleged corruption, is now all set to re-install the same person as the Head of the State on March 9.
Another irony is that it is because of this ‘chequered history,’ among other factors, that Nawaz declined to take oath himself as the PM for the fourth time and, instead, nominated his younger brother Shehbaz Sharif to do the ‘honors.’
After the Shehbaz-led six-party ruling alliance nominated Zardari, whose son Bilawal Bhutto is the chairman of the Sindh-based Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP), for the top post, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday announced the polling schedule for the March 9 presidential election.
Zardari is almost certain to bag the top constitutional post again after nearly 11 years.
The ECP said the presidential election would be held on March 9 at the National Assembly in Islamabad and all the provincial assemblies from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, Geo News reported.
According to the schedule, candidates for the highest office can submit nomination papers by Saturday with the presiding officers in Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, and Quetta.
The scrutiny of the papers by the returning officers will be done on March 4, the ECP said, adding that the candidature can be withdrawn the next day.
The poll body will publish the list of validly nominated candidates on the same day, and March 6 has been fixed as the date for retirement, the report said.
The coalition includes the PML-N, the PPP, and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P), among other parties.
The February 8 General Elections to the National Assembly produced a split verdict with jailed former PM Imran Khan-supported Independent winners walking away with the maximum 93 seats in a House with 268 seats, but short of the majority.
To keep him at bay, the all-powerful Pakistan Army forced the six parties into a coalition with the deal being that the PPP (with 54 seats) would install its President and the PML-N (75 seats) its Prime Minister.
Asif Ali Zardari, 688, was made the ‘consensus’ candidate for the country’s top constitutional office after the PML-N and the PPP decided to form the coalition when neither of the two parties managed to secure a clear majority in the February 8 polls.
