Special report: Pakistani Situation

    ISLAMABAD, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan People's Party (PPP) spokesman Farhatullah Babar said Monday that Makhdoom Amin Fahim was still the front runner for the slot of prime minister but a decision would be made by the party's Central Executive Committee.

    The Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) quoted Babar as saying that the first high-level meeting of the party at Naudero after the assassination of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, stated that Makhdoom Amin Fahim would be parliamentary leader of the party in the National Assembly.

    It was also stated at that time that this decision would be ratified by the Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the party, he said.

    The CEC meeting would be convened to ratify whatever decision was taken, he said, adding that the CEC members had been alerted to remain available because the meeting could take place any time.

    He said the PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari had categorically stated in public he was not a candidate for premiership and that he was not contesting election.

    Babar said the most important priority of the party was to correct constitutional imbalances and not the future of President Pervez Musharraf.

    Once the constitution was balanced and the parliament was made sovereign it would be able to take all decisions, he said and added that the parliament was the best forum for important decisions, which could not be made on the streets.

    Amin Fahim was former Vice Chairman of PPP Parliamentarians in the lower house of the Parliament of Pakistan, the National Assembly (NA) and Parliamentary Leader of his party in NA after Benazir Bhutto's exile. He was the presidential candidate fielded by PPP in the presidential elections in October last year.

    The Election Commission of Pakistan Saturday formally notified the names of winning candidates in the national and provincial assemblies for polling held on Feb. 18 PPP won the largest number of NA seats in the elections.

    The final results indicate that there will not be a hung parliament. PPP and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) agreed tojoin hands to form a coalition government.