ISLAMABAD: Top PPP leadership is at odds over the nomination of candidate for filling party’s vacant seat in Senate, which has been lying vacant since the resignation of Syed Faisal Raza Abidi, insiders revealed to The Nation on Tuesday.
Sources in PPP told this scribe that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari have nominated different candidates for the slot. Bilwal wants to see senior party leader Abdul Qadir Patel in Senate but Zardari is in favour of Dr Qayyum Soomro as replacement of Abidi in the upper house.
According to sources, Zardari’s two close aides, Rehman Malik and Dr Asim Hussain, requested the former president to award the Senate ticket to Soomro. Importantly, Faryal Talpur is also in favour of Soomro.
On the other hand, PPP’s young chairman is insisting to promote the PPP’s old associate Abdul Qadar Patel on the highest parliamentary platform. Sources said Bilawal wanted to take decision on merit and promote real workers of the party.
Malik and Hussain tried to launch Soomro before May 11, 2013 when Dr Hafiz Sheikh resigned as senator from his technocrat seat. However, Sindh High Court gave a stay order on a petition, saying that Dr Soomro did not fulfil the requirements of a technocrat. Patel is former member of National Assembly from NA-231, Karachi-1, and has good repute within the party. –Nokhaiz Sahi