PM nominee faces arrest warrant

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari's bid to fill the power vacuum caused by his prime minister's departure faced further hiccups yesterday when the Anti Narcotics Force issued an arrest warrant for his preferred candidate.
Makhdoom Shahabuddin's arrest warrant is linked to imports of an illegal drug while he was health minister.
He is a senior figure in the ruling Pakistan People's Party who served in the cabinet of Benazir Bhutto and was most recently textiles minister in Mr Gilani's administration.
It is linked to allegations of illegal imports of the drug ephedrine while he was health minister.
Shahabuddin is accused of violating restrictions on the import of the drug in 2010. He denies the charge, and says he in fact ordered an inquiry into the affair.
Legal experts say that even if he is arrested, he could still be elected prime minister by parliament, the BBC's M Ilyas Khan in Islamabad reports.
State TV said another minister, Raja Pervez Ashraf, would be offered as a "covering" candidate in case the textiles minister was rejected by MPs.
The Pakistan People's Party was scheduled to sit down with its allies last night to finalise their main nominee for the new premier, DawnNews reported.
In an informal conversation with media representatives at the Parliament House yesterday, the PPP's central leader Syed Khursheed Shah said that the coalition would announce their final decision on the nominee for prime minister after the meeting.
The former minister for religious affairs said this party had submitted nomination papers to the National Assembly Secretariat for three of its candidates.
He said an important meeting of the PPP and its allies has been called to decide over the issue of selecting a candidate for the coveted seat.
Speaking about the arrest warrant issued for Shahabuddin, Syed Khursheed Shah said it was unfortunate that some members of parliament were part of the conspiracy to destabilise the system.
The National Assembly Secretariat yesterday accepted nomination papers for five candidates to the prime minister's seat. Three candidates from the PPP, including Makhdoom Shahabuddin, Qamar Zaman Kaira and Raja Pervez Ashraf, filed their papers, while the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) fielded Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan as their candidate.
Chief of his own faction of the Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam, Maulana Fazlur Rehman also submitted his candidacy papers.
Although reservations were raised over Shahabuddin's eligibility, papers for all five candidates were accepted.
Meanwhile, Awami National Party (ANP) leader Haji Adeel told reporters in Islamabad that his party was the PPP's coalition partner, and that they did not need to 'strike a deal' to support them.
Moreover, he said that the ANP's 13 members in the National Assembly will vote for the coalition's candidate.
Members of parliament are scheduled to meet today, June 22, at 5:30pm to elect new the prime minister. NA Speaker Fehmida Mirza will chair the proceedings.
After election today, the majority candidate will emerge as prime minister-elect, until he takes oath of the office to become PM. After taking oath, the new premier will seek vote of confidence from the House.
Feud with judiciary
The court's decision to disqualify Gilani stunned Pakistan's government on Tuesday, two months after judges convicted the prime minister of contempt of court for failing to pursue corruption charges against the president.
In April, Gilani was given a token sentence and avoided a jail term.
Even if Shahbuddin does become prime minister, he is likely to face the same Supreme Court demand as Gilani for the launch of a corruption inquiry into Zardari.
The charges against President Zardari date back to the 1990s when his late wife Benazir Bhutto was prime minister. They were accused of using Swiss bank accounts to launder bribe money.
President Zardari has always insisted the charges against him are politically motivated.
Gilani's removal as prime minister is being seen as part of a long-running and bitter feud between the government and judiciary.