ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) will be fielding MNA Naveed Qamar as the party's candidate for prime minister afterOpposition Leader Khursheed Shah — the party's other nominee for premier — withdrew his nomination papers.
The move followed the failure of opposition parties to unite behind a single candidate before the National Assembly elects a new prime minister today.
Sources said Shah would only have contested elections if he was chosen as the joint candidate of the opposition.
The PPP did not welcomePakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) decision to nominate Awami Muslim League Sheikh Rasheed as its candidate for prime minister.
Earlier in the day, a meeting of the opposition parties in Shah's chamber remained inconclusiveregarding the opposition partiesfielding aunified candidate.
Leaders of the PPP, PTI, Jamaat-e-Islami and Awami Muslim League, among others, attended the meeting.
Speaking after the meeting, PTI's Shah Mehmood Qureshi said consultations are still under way, adding that the opposition leaders will meet again before the session — which is scheduled for 3pm.
Pakistan Muslim League-Q chief Chaudhry Pervez Elahi claimed the opposition is nearing aconsensus on a joint candidate.
Though the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz's (PML-N) candidate, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, can easily secure the post owing to the party's majority of 188 seats in the National Assembly, the opposition intends to 'put up a fight'.
Moreover, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) decided on Tuesday to vote in favour of the PML-N candidate.
The MQM, which is the fourth largest party in the assembly, formally announced its decision after a meeting with Abbasi and other PML-N leaders.
The party will be withdrawing the nomination of its MNA Kishwar Zehra who was contesting the election for the premier as well.