Islamabad: Former Pakistan Premier Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) on November 21 charged the Musharraf administration with "ruthless" horse-trading in the election of Prime Minister, leading to the victory of pro-military regime Pakistan Muslim League – Qaid Azam (PML-Q)'s Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali.

The party, which served notice on three of the 10 dissidents who broke ranks with PPP, said, "The election today of Jamali of the PML-Q as leader of the House was made possible by legalising floor-crossing which marks the beginning of a new Democratic experiment as based on moral depravity and legal perversion."

All 10 PPP dissenters voted in favour of Jamali in the Parliamentary vote despite persuasion by the party colleagues to vote for its candidate Mahmud Shah Qureshi.

The party served notice, signed by PPP acting secretary general Mian Raza Rabbani, on Makhdoom Faisal Saleh Hayat, leader of the dissident group, Rao Sikander Iqbal and Naurez Shakoor.

On Jamali's election, it said in a statement, "Today, the Generals' undemocratic agenda to perpetuate themselves in power has won and the Democratic forces have lost. It is a sad day for all those who uphold the values of freedom, Democracy and civil supremacy."

PTI