Islamabad: PPP Chairman Asif Ali Zardari is believed to have decided to take over as Prime Minister of Pakistan after three months, The News daily reported today.

The paper said that Zardari had reportedly shared the "multi-million dollar secret" with his party MPs from Hyderabad region on Saturday night when he told them that he would bring a Prime Minister from Punjab for 90 days and become Prime Minister after contesting elections.

Amin Fahim, the Prime Minister hopeful, told the paper that he too had heard from the partymen that Zardari had told members of the National Assembly on Saturday that he has decided to become Prime Minister. But Fahim said unless he heard himself from the mouth of Zardari he would not give any reaction.

The paper said this is the third major policy shift in Zardari's stance in the last 60 days. First, he had announced Fahim as Prime Minister, then he changed his mind and started talking about a Prime Minister from Punjab after backing Yousaf Raza Gillani, Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Ahmed Mukhtar.

"Now, finally he is believed to have decided to become the candidate for the top post, after pitting the top four leaders against each other.

"The four otherwise shrewd politicians were smartly made to fight each other so that instead of getting united against him at any stage, none of them could pose any challenge for him at the time of the decision of the prime ministership," the daily said. 

It said that Zardari decided to take over as Prime Minister in deference to the aspirations of the Sindhis who strongly feel that the Prime Minister should be from their province.

At the Saturday meeting, Zardari sought the opinion of member of National Assembly, Fahmida Mirza, who along with many others immediately endorsed the idea.

The MPs felt that his decision to become Prime Minister might stop the likely rift in the party which became pronounced after four contenders laid their claim to the post.

However, the daily quoted sources in the party to say that when the turn of another MP, Nawab Yousaf Talpur came, he said nobody could stop Zardari if he wanted to become Prime Minister. But he wanted Fahim to be rewarded for his loyalty and made the interim Prime Minister for three months.

Source : PTI