Lahore: Punjab's Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi is making an independent bid to become the country's prime minister after next year's general elections, raising the hackles of incumbent Shaukat Aziz and other policymakers of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q).
President General Pervez Musharraf has not spoken about the party candidate for the slot. On his part, Shaukat Aziz has not declared whether he wants to continue in the post.
"He has left it to the party leadership. While the entire party knows the final decree on the issue will come from President Musharraf, sources close to the PM say he has not really appreciated Elahi's attempt," The News reported.
Long-cherished dream
Elahi has launched his campaign "at full throttle" to fulfil his "long-cherished dream of grabbing the slot of prime minister.
"Pervaiz Elahi is having daydreams of repeating [former prime minister] Nawaz Sharif's success story," it said.
The PML-Q leadership is ignoring Elahi's campaign, terming it "wishful thinking" on his part.
"They believe that when things will boil down to decision-making, Musharraf's word will make all the difference.
"The party leadership is of the view there is no reason to field another candidate for this slot in case the PML-Q surfaces with the required statistics at the electorate," The News said.
