ISLAMABAD - As the consultation process with other stakeholders is nearing completion, veteran party leader and Advisor to PM on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz seemed winning the race of getting party’s nomination for the upcoming presidential election.
Sources in the party informed The Nation on Monday that the developments on this front were supporting and supplementing the candidature of Sartaj Azia while the next in the race is former Governor Sindh Mamnoon Hussain while Justice (retd) Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddiqui is almost out from the race.
The sources further said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has already made up his mind and in this connection just a formality of announcing the name would be made, once the consultation process is over.
Despite no chances of having consensus candidate for the slot of President, the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) leadership is continuing its effort to woo the support of maximum political stakeholders for their candidate.
The sources in the PML-N informed The Nation that the party leaders assigned the task of contacting leadership of major political parties was just seeking their support for the PML-N candidate, and not taking their reflection on the short-listed candidates including Mamnoon Hussain, Sartaj Aziz and Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddiqui.
The sources further said that in the light of the developments on this front it could safely be said that Sartaj Aziz would be winning the party’s nomination for the top slot while the second in the line would be Mamnoon Hussain, while Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddiqui and others were out of the race.
Meanwhile, in another development former governor Sindh and one of the Nawaz Sharif’s loyalists, Mamnoon Hussain, called on the Prime Minister in Islamabad on Monday. However, the sources in the party said that he (Mamnoon) was not summoned by the PM and the meeting was arranged on the request of former governor Sindh.
These sources further said that Premier Sharif had discussed the precarious law and order situation in Karachi and have his viewpoint and suggestions as to what steps the federal government should take to bring improvement in it. A senior party leader on condition of anonymity informed The Nation that in his view even Mamnoon Hussain was out of the race and Sartaj Aziz is going to get the party’s nomination for the presidential elections.
He further said that Mamnoon Hussain could be offered the governorship of Sindh where he had already served as governor during the last stint of Mian Nawaz Sharif as Prime Minister.
Although there was no official word on this development, but the sources privy to the deliberations of the high-level meeting held under the chair of Prime Minister Mohammad Nawaz Sharif a couple of days back, wherein the pros and cons of the short-listed candidates came under discussion, majority of the senior party leaders came out in support of Sartaj Aziz.
These sources further said that the feedback coming from smaller Parliamentary parties were in support of Sartaj Aziz’s candidature for the slot of President of Pakistan.