ISLAMABAD, March 9: The Sunday’s landmark summit between the Pakistan People’s Party and Pakistan Muslim League-N in Murree brought the two arch rivals of the past close to the formation of a coalition government but, at the same time, exposed a rift in the PPP over the nomination of a candidate for the office of the prime minister.

PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari claimed at a news conference in Bhurban that Makhdoom Amin Fahim could not attend the meeting owing to his pre-occupation. But Mr Fahim told reporters in Islamabad that he had not been invited and that he had no engagements in the capital to stop him from going to Murree.

A visibly-disappointed Mr Fahim also hinted that he was no more a candidate for the premiership. “I was alone trying to save my skin from the curse of the premiership, but now the whole party is with me in saving me from this curse,” he said, apparently referring to the party’s possible decision against nominating him for the office of the prime minister.

“I am a faqeer,” remarked the Makhdoom of Hala, who is custodian of one of the most revered religious ‘Gaddi’ in Sindh. “I do not go for prayers without Azan,” he said when his comments were sought on the remarks of Mr Zardari that he had been invited by the party leadership for talks with the PML-N. He said he had spent the whole day in his Islamabad residence with no engagement.

Mr Fahim, however, said that he did not want a split in the party and wanted to see it ‘intact’. He claimed that a majority of the people of Pakistan was with him, but the decision to nominate the party’s prime minister would be made by its leader.

The PPP, which emerged as the largest party in the National Assembly after Feb 18 elections, is still undecided about its candidate for the premiership. Sources attributed the delay to Mr Zardari’s reluctance to nominate Mr Fahim.

PPP office-bearers, who have been denying reports that there was a rift in the party on any issue, on Sunday admitted that the gulf between Mr Zardari and Mr Fahim had widened and the two had not been on talking terms for a few days.

A PPP leader requesting anonymity told Dawn that Mr Zardari was claiming that Mr Fahim had been invited, but the latter was denying and obviously one of them was “lying” and this did not serve the interest of the party. He was of the view that at least Mr Zardari should have taken Mr Fahim with him to Murree even if the party had decided not to nominate him for the post of the prime minister.

Meanwhile, another contender for the office of the prime minister, Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, was in an upbeat mood on Sunday. He confirmed to Dawn that his name was doing the rounds in party circles as the country’s next prime minister. He said Mr Fahim had himself stated that he was not in the race for the office.

When asked if the decision to sideline Mr Fahim could damage the party and even cause a break-up, he said he did not think so. When asked that some party leaders believed that Mr Zardari had been reluctant to nominate Mr Fahim because he (Mr Zardari) himself was a contender for the office of the prime minister, he said the party co-chairman had at least six times stated that he was not willing to become the prime minister.

Political experts believe that if the decision to nominate a prime minister is delayed till March 12 when re-polling in some of the polling stations will be held in Shikarpur (NA-202) and if PPP senior leader Aftab Shaaban Mirani emerges victorious, then Chaudhry Mukhtar can also become a dark horse in the race.