Raja Parvez Ashraf elected as Pak PM

National Assembly chose Ashraf with 211 votes against PML-N's Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan Abbasi.

Raja Parvez Ashraf,a stalwart of the ruling PPP,was today elected by the National Assembly as Pakistan’s new Prime Minister as the country struggled to come out of its latest political crisis.

61-year-old loyalist of the Bhutto family was pitched forked into the hot seat after the original choice Makhdoom Shahbuddin faced an arrest warrant yesterday. But the new leader himself is dogged by corruption charges relating to his tenure as Power Minister.

The 342-member National Assembly chose Ashraf with 211 votes against opposition PML-N nominee Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan Abbasi who got 89 votes. He

will be administered oath of office by President Asif Ali Zardari as the country’s 25th Prime Minister.

Ashraf,the ‘Raja’ in post-Gilani era of Pakistan politics

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Islamabad: Forced to resign last year as a minister after his name cropped up in a scam,PPP leader Raja Parvez Ashraf in a reversal of fortune has become Pakistan’s 25th premier,notwithstanding an ongoing probe against him.

A strong loyalist of the Bhutto family,Ashraf hails from a royal family of Rawalpindi in Punjab.

61-year-old Ashraf,who was PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari’s second choice for the post of premier,became the main candidate after an arrest warrant was issued against party nominee Makhdoom Shahbuddin for alleged irregularities during his tenure as Health Minister.

Interestingly,Ashraf is facing a probe by the National Accountability Bureau for alleged corruption in rental power projects during his tenure as Water and Power Minister.

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He was secretary-general of the PPP (Parliamentarians),a party formed in 2002 by the PPP for the purpose of complying with electoral rules governing Pakistani parties.

The party contested the 2002 elections while former prime minister Benazir Bhutto was living in self-imposed exile.

Ashraf,who was elected to the National Assembly from Gujar Khan constituency in Rawalpindi district — both in 2002 and 2008 — served twice in the cabinet of Yousuf Raza Gilani,who was disqualified by the Supreme Court.

He resigned from Gilani’s cabinet in February last year after allegations of corruption in power projects.

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He returned to the cabinet in April this year when he was appointed minister for Information Technology.

Ashraf’s candidature was backed by PML-Q,a major ally of the PPP with more than 50 seats in the National Assembly.

His nomination is seen by experts as a taunt to the assertive judiciary. Ashraf’s nomination might irk the Supreme Court,which had ordered the government to take legal action against him for alleged corruption cases.