 Pakistani opposition parties that inflicted a big defeat on President Pervez Musharraf's allies in last week's election are trying to woo Islamists to build a coalition that could threaten the rule of the U.S. ally.
| We knew he'd do that, since cutting the Islamists out of power takes a back seat to hitting the boodle. However... |
Asif Ali "Gomez" Zardari, widower of assassinated former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and leader of her party, on Thursday night met Fazl-ur-Rehman, a hard-line Islamic cleric and discussed the possibility of forming a "government of national consensus".
| Fazl's an "Islamist," in that there are branches of the Talibs who are a part of his branch of JUI. But he's much more like Gomez in that he's for rent, if not for sale. If Gomez starts making deals with Qazi then we can expect him to sell the farm; making deals with Mullah Diesel just means he's going to rent a few acres. For awhile. |
Representatives of both leaders were due to meet again on Friday evening for more discussions.
| ... on how to split the swag. |
Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) won most seats in the February 18 election, but not enough to rule alone. The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) of another former prime minister, Nawaz "Uncle Fester" Sharif, came second. Zardari has called for a coalition government made up of all parties except Musharraf's main ally, the Pakistan Muslim League (PML), which suffered a humiliating defeat in the polls. |