The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) estimates the parliamentary elections, scheduled for January 8, will be postponed for at least three months, a spokesperson for the party announced on Sunday.
The PPP convened to decide on a successor to Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated last Thursday. One candidate is Bhutto’s husband, Asif Zardari, who did not rule out the possibility during an interview with the BBC. A second candidate is Bhutto’s son, Bilawal.
Earlier in the weekend, Nawaz Sharif, a prominent opposition leader and head of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), announced that his party would boycott the elections and urged the PPP to do the same.
Sharif demanded the immediate resignation of Pakistan’s President General Pervez Musharraf and called for the establishment of a national consensus government to conduct "fair elections".
Bhutto’s assassination triggered riots across the nation, in which at least 44 people were killed and hundreds of cars, shops, and banks destroyed. In response, Musharraf ordered security forces to take a firm stance against the demonstrators and apply the Anti-Terrorism Act (reported by the Associated Press of Pakistan).
The Taliban leader in northern Pakistan, Beitullah Mahsoud, has denied his movement’s involvement in Bhutto’s slaying.
Shortly after the assassination, Rahimullah Yousefzai, the resident editor of the Pakistani daily, The News, based in Peshawar, told The Media Line that although "Islamic militants" were the immediate suspects, the involvement of Musharraf’s security apparatus could not be ruled out.