KARACHI: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has decided to hand over leadership to Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, son of late premier Benazir Bhutto, and former president Asif Ali Zardari, DawnNews reported.

By the end of the year 2013, Bilawal is scheduled to take the reigns of the party into his own hands.

Party sources said that PPP would contest in the next general elections under the leadership of Bilawal and not as parliamentarians, adding that the party would keep him at the front of most political and party-related activities.

Bilawal was made chairman of the party after the Jamaat-i-Islami registered a petition in court against Zardari for retaining the position of co-chairman of the PPP even after he became president of Pakistan.

The petitioner had contended in court that the use of the presidency for political activities was illegal and tantamount to committing contempt of court. The case was disposed of by the Lahore High Court after Zardari's counsel announced that Zardari had resigned from the post of party leader.

However, Bilawal had to leave for Dubai before the May 2013 general elections due to serious security threats against his person, as informed by the Federal Intelligence Agency (FIA).

Earlier, Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Workers Movement leaders Nahid Khan and Safdar Abbasi, had asked Zardari to let Bilawal lead the party after he left the presidency, citing that enough damage had already been done.