Elections rescheduled for February 18; Asif Zardari takes over control of PPP on son’s behalf; Pentagon awards contract worth $498 million to Lockheed Martin for Pakistan’s F-16 fighter jets.
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    • The Pakistani Election Commission announced fresh dates for the elections to take place on February 18 instead of on the earlier scheduled date of January 8. The Commission stated that violence in the aftermath of the killing of Benazir Bhutto made it difficult to conduct elections in a peaceful manner1.

    Meanwhile, the will of the deceased opposition leader Ms. Bhutto was read out in the central executive committee meeting of the PPP at Naudero on December 30. Ms. Bhutto’s son Bilawal was elected as the Chairman of the party and Ms. Bhutto’s husband Asif Zardari as the co-Chairman. Makhdoom Amin Fahim was designated as the PPP’s prime ministerial candidate for the forthcoming elections2.

    Meanwhile, addressing the nation on television, President Musharraf expressed grief over the loss of Benazir Bhutto and offered to get the matter investigated by Scotland Yard3. Later in the week, a team from Scotland Yard visited the site of assassination and consulted the local police and members of the Special Investigation Group of the Federal Investigation Agency4. The PPP meanwhile, rejecting the post-mortem report of the slain leader, demanded the setting up of a UN commission to investigate the matter5. Among other internal developments, security forces killed five militants in South Waziristan and captured 52 militants in the troubled valley of Swat.

    In a significant move, the US Defence Department endorsed the supply of F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan with a contract worth $498 million being awarded to Lockheed Martin6.

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