Islamabad: Pakistan People's Party's 19-year-old chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has slipped from the 20th slot to the 200th place in just three days on Time magazine's 2008 list of the top 100 influential people.
Bilawal, former Premier Benazir Bhutto's son who was made chairman of the PPP after his mother's assassination in December last year, has been consistently bagging votes - 26,000 at last count - but they don't seem to be enough to keep him going in the prestigious list. He now occupies the seventh to the last position.
Time magazine, like every year, is inviting readers to vote for leaders, artists, entrepreneurs and thinkers who shape the world and deserve to be on its annual list. There are currently 207 finalists, with Bilawal at slot number 200.
The list will be published in the magazine s next issue. Bilawal is not the only one who has been thrown out of favour. Pop singer Madonna is no longer at slot number 5, where she was two days ago. In the top positions on the scale of 1 (least influential) to 100 (the most influential), comedian Stephen Colbert is leading, followed by video-gamer Shigeru Miyamoto, Korean pop sensation Rain, comedian John Stewart and actor George Clooney.
The list of finalists also features Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani, Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Pakistani Taliban Commander Baitullah Mehsud. Unlike Bilawal, Musharaff s stars are beginning to shine, with the President moving up almost 90 notches to occupy the 79th slot. Kayani follows next at 149, Gillani at 154 and Mehsud at 182.
Source :
PTI