A major opposition party, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, yesterday backed Benazir Bhutto's widower to become Pakistan's president, as the power struggle following the resignation of Pervez Musharraf intensified. Asif Ali Zardari leads the largest party in the ruling coalition, whose drive to impeach Musharraf persuaded the stalwart U.S. ally to quit Monday after nine years in power.Zardari has played down speculation that he covets the presidency, which his Pakistan People's Party and its allies have vowed to strip of its power.
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A leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Haider Razvi, said it wanted Zardari as president because of his past sacrifices and for his "wisdom and vision" in handling Musharraf's ouster.
The MQM, a strong backer of Musharraf, is the second-largest opposition group in Parliament. t dominates Karachi, Pakistan's biggest city, and other urban areas in the southern province of Sindh and recently buried its long animosity with the People's Party.
Razvi called for a president from outside Punjab, Pakistan's largest and wealthiest province, and said Zardari a Sindhi was "most eligible" for the job. "He is a strong believer in the federation," Razvi said.