PPP may field Rabbani, Aitzaz for Senate top slots

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan People’s Party has almost shortlisted Senators Mian Raza Rabbani and Aitzaz Ahsan to field for the offices of chairman and deputy chairman of the Senate.
According to PPP sources, if the party decided to offer the slot of deputy chairman Senate to someone outside Sindh, then Aitzaz Ahsan would be the choice candidate. “But the PPP still believes that the chairmanship of the Senate will go to Sindh and the office of the deputy chairman to Balochistan. If a decision was taken on this combination, then Senator Raza Rabbani would be the choice of the party for the chairmanship,” said a senior leader of the PPP.
Sources said though the name of Senator Farooq H Naek also emerged but he was loaded with legal cases of PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari who has desired that Naek should personally focus on these cases.
“Though there was a soft corner within the party for Naek but he was pleading major cases of the party leadership and it would be difficult for him to take other assignment at this time,” he added.
On the name of Senator Rehman Malik, majority of the PPP leaders from internal Sindh had expressed their reservations and some political parties from KP and Balochistan had communicated their reservations to the PPP co-chairman.
However, sources said there was a goodwill gesture for Raza Rabbani from smaller parties from Balochistan and KP as he rose his voice for their rights and the party believes that he could get maximum votes from smaller provinces. “Rabbani, who authored the 18th amendment, has good political relations with nationalist parties of KP and Balochistan,” said a senior PPP leader.
The PPP may choose Senator Aitzaz Ahsan for the post of deputy chairman Senate due to his services for the party.Sources said the final decision of choosing the party candidate is likely to be taken by Monday or Tuesday so that campaign be launched to get the top slots of the Upper House.