Pakistan Elects Raja Pervez Asharf As New Prime Minister

Islamabad, June 23, IRNA -- Pakistan's National Assembly, Lower House of Parliament, on Friday elected Raja Pervez Ashraf, as country’s new prime minister, Parliamentary Speaker announced. Ashraf, leader of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) will replace Yusuf Raza Gilani, who was disqualified by the Supreme Court of Pakistan over contempt charges earlier this week. Ashraf secured 211 votes in 342-member house while his close rival of the main opposition Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) bagged 89 votes. Speaker National Assembly, Fahmida Mirza, who chaired the special session, announced result of the voting Maulana Faza-ur-Rahman, leader of Jamiat ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), who was also in the race for the slot of Prime Minister announced withdrawal as the voting was to start. He said his party will remain impartial in the voting process as he wanted a consensus candidate in the crisis-like situation in the country. PPP formally nominated Ashraf as new candidate for the highest slot on Friday after an anti-narcotics court issued an arrest warrant for its first choice, Makhdoom Shahabuddin, on Thursday. Ashraf had been Minister for Information Technology in the cabinet of Gilani until Tuesday when it was dissolved. He had served as Minister for Water and Power from March 2008 to 2011. Ashraf has been accused of receiving kickback in a rental power project and is currently defending himself in the Supreme Court of Pakistan. He has also been accused of buying foreign property from illegal money. The Supreme Court declared him involved in the rental power project scam and asked the anti-corruption department to start investigation against him. Political analysts are of the view that President Zardari chose Pervez Ashraf as one of the two main candidates whom he considered as loyal to him, party and will work in line with his instructions. They say Zardari was also interested to take PM from the biggest Punjab province, a stronghold of the opposition PML-N of Nawaz Sharif for the PPP political influence ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections. PROFILE: Raja Pervez Ashraf was born on December 26, 1950 in Sanghar district in southern Sindh province. After completing a bachelors degree from University of Sindh in 1970, his professional occupation has been that of business and agriculture. After that, he joined the center-left PPP, and made Gujar Khan area in Punjab province his new home. Raja Pervez Ashraf had been inducted minister in Gilani’s cabinet in April 2008 after the PPP won elections and formed a coalition government. He served as Minister for Water and Power till February 2011. He was not given any portfolio in a major cabinet reshuffle in February 2011. He was again appointed Minister for Information Technology in April 2012 when the cabinet was expanded. He remained the IT minister until Gilani cabinet was dissolved on Tuesday. He has been twice elected Member of National Assembly from his constituency of Gujar Khan in Rawalpindi District of Punjab province. There are serious corruption allegation on Raja Pervez Ashraf for receiving kickbacks in rental power projects and buying properties in London. The Supreme Court of Pakistan is hearing rental power projects case 'Rental power projects case' and buying property overseas with corrupt payments'. The Supreme Court last month asked the country’s anti-corruption department to initiate investigation against Pervez Ashraf./end