PPP announces Raja Parvez Ashraf as PM candidate

Ashraf's candidature came up after they party's original candidate was issued an arrest warrant

The ruling Pakistan People's Party today named former IT Minister Raja Parvez Ashraf as its candidate for the post of Prime Minister hours before a special session of Parliament convened to elect a new premier.

Senior PPP leader Khursheed Shah announced the name of the party's nominee at a news conference held in Parliament.

"After consulting the parties allied to us, the name given to me by the (PPP) leadership is that of Raja Parvez Ashraf", Shah said. The National Assembly or lower house of Parliament is scheduled to elect the new premier at 5.30 pm.

The election was necessitated by the ouster of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani by the Supreme Court on Tuesday.

The PPP's efforts to find a replacement for Gilani hit a snag yesterday after a special court issued an arrest warrant for Makhdoom Shahabuddin, the party's original candidate for the post of premier, at the same time that he was filing his nomination papers.

Ashraf, who has been linked by the apex court to a scam over rental power projects during his tenure as Power Minister, had filed nomination papers as a "covering" candidate or alternative to Shahabuddin.

Qamar Zaman Kaira, another senior PPP leader, too had filed nomination papers but his candidature was opposed by the PML-Q, a key ally of the PPP.