Bilawal Bhutto named chairman of PPP

Barkha Dutt, Munizae Jehangir
Sunday, December 30, 2007 (Larkana)
Reports suggest that former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's son Bilawal Bhutto has been named the chairman of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP).Bhutto's husband Asif Zardari, Abdul Makhdoom Fahim, deputy leader of PPP and Shah Mehmood Qureshi have reportedly been named co-chairmen of the party.Fahim was widely known as Benazir's right hand man. He led the party in Benazir's absence, from 1999 to October 2007. A Benazir loyalist, Fahim is the quintessential party man, who never wavered in his loyalties towards his leader in all these years. He was in the same vehicle as the now departed leader, at the time she was assassinated.Meanwhile, earlier in the day, Bhutto's close aide Sherry Rehman had told NDTV that PPP cannot thrust party leadership on Bilawal.Rehman had said that Bilawal was keen to complete his studies but that does not rule him out. Even if he is chosen, there might be someone who will take over for some time. A special memorial service, called the soyem, took place for the slain former Pakistan premier in her ancestral village in Larkana in Sind, on the fourth day after her death.Family politicsWhile all eyes are on Bilawal Bhutto, his estranged cousins Fatima and Zulfikar Bhutto junior are slowly building up their political profiles.The children of Benazir's brother Murtaza have often been publicly critical of Benazir's politics.However, speaking exclusively to NDTV's Managing Editor Barkha Dutt in Larkana in Pakistan, Fatima Bhutto says she mourned her aunt as a family member but would express her political differences through her writing instead of party politics