With allies turning rivals overnight, Pakistan’s presidential poll set for September 6 appears heading for an intense contest between the ruling PPP nominee Asif Ali Zardari and Saeed-uz Zaman Siddiqui fielded by Nawaz Sharif’s PML-N, both filing nomination papers on Tuesday.

As the political crisis deepened, Zardari made a last-ditch effort to save the coalition by reaching out to Sharif with an apology and asked the PML-N chief to rejoin the government.

But Sharif, who pulled his party out of the coalition on Monday accusing Zardari of reneging on the promise to reinstate the judges sacked by former president Pervez Musharraf, showed no signs of relenting.

The PPP filed nomination papers for 52-year-old Zardari for the presidential polls, claiming it has enough numbers to ensure his victory without PML-N’s support.

Triangular contest

The PML-N filed nomination papers for Siddiqui, former Supreme Court Chief Justice, while pro-Musharraf PML-Q candidate Mushahid Hussain Sayed also entered the fray, making it a triangular contest.
A day after Sharif attacked him for not honouring the agreement between the two parties to restore the deposed judges, Zardari adopted a conciliatory tone. “I admit that you have been hurt and I apologise for that,” the PPP chief said in a message.

Zardari said it was “unfortunate” that Sharif has “refused to travel with us in the coming journey” and asked the PML-N chief to set aside “personal differences” and return to the coalition “in the interest of democracy and Pakistan”. In his message, Zardari said: “I regret that we have failed in the democratic journey we started with my late wife Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif...”

“We had some successes. Together we elected a prime minister and defeated a dictator.”

Fourteen sets of nomination papers were filed for Zardari by leaders of PPP, ANP, Jamiat and MQM. Dissident PPP leader Makhdoom Amin Fahim, ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan and JUI leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman endorsed Zardari’s nomination. Nomination papers were also filed on behalf of Zardari’s sister Faryal Talpur, who will be his covering candidate. PML-N candidate Siddiqui said if he was successful in the polls, his first act would be to restore the deposed judges.

Tuesday was the only day for filing nomination papers, which will be scrutinised by the Election Commission on August 28 and the last date for withdrawing nominations is August 30.