Name Her Prime Minister of Pakistan, Bhutto Asks

Opposition leader Benazir Bhutto on Thursday called on Pakistani President Ghulam Ishaq Khan to name her as prime minister after her Pakistan People’s Party won control of the largest single bloc of seats in the National Assembly.

“The people have given their verdict, and I hope it will be respected in its true spirit,” a beaming but tired Bhutto told reporters at Karachi airport after final official election results indicated that her party controlled 92 of the 205 seats at stake in Wednesday’s legislative election.

The biggest loser in the polls was the ruling alliance left by the late military ruler, President Zia ul-Haq, who overthrew Bhutto’s father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, in a 1977 coup, allowed him to be executed and for a time imprisoned his daughter. In Wednesday’s voting, the alliance won just 54 seats; the rest were taken by an array of independents and small parties.

But, as both Bhutto and the conservative, nine-party ruling alliance that she defeated began back-room politicking Thursday in an effort to build their blocs into a simple majority, official sources in Islamabad, the capital, said the leader of the new government will probably not be known for several days.

President Ishaq Khan, a close aide to Zia who succeeded to the presidency after Zia and 10 of his senior generals died in a plane crash last Aug. 17, told reporters that he plans to consult with all political leaders before he chooses the next prime minister.

If appointed, Bhutto would be the first female prime minister of a Muslim nation, and the issue was an important one during the monthlong election campaign. But Ishaq Khan made it clear Thursday that he would have no problem in making such an appointment. The president, who enjoys the solid support of the powerful Pakistani military, has said the military, too, would support his choice.

During her brief press conference Thursday, Bhutto took pains to praise the armed forces for their role in Wednesday elections, which were by far the most peaceful in the nation’s 41-year history.

“I think I will have no problems with the armed forces, which actually helped hold these elections,” she said. “They firmly resisted persistent requests for postponing the elections, and they have shown they want full democracy to return to Pakistan.”

Meanwhile, Bhutto’s principal adversary, Mian Nawaz Sharif, the leader of the ruling alliance, was busy lobbying winners from among the 44 independents and nonaligned parties, trying to build his alliance into a majority. “He is still trying to kick together some kind of coalition,” said one senior adviser to the alliance.

Sharif was a close confidant of Zia whose campaigning was marked by personal attacks on Bhutto over the issue of her gender. Asked if Sharif could ever accept Bhutto as prime minister, the aide said, “He probably will eventually, if he has to.”

The principal lobbying target of both Sharif and Bhutto is a regional party of Urdu-speaking Indian immigrants in the southern province of Sind. Although it is just three years old, the Mohajir National Movement has acquired substantial power among hard-liners, who have often clashed with Sindi-speaking communities in riots that have left hundreds dead this year.

“The movement is now emerging as one of the country’s most powerful forces,” one diplomatic observer said. “They can make or break governments, and their demands may lead to serious future bloodshed in the Sind.”