Then, what remains of the PPP in Punjab can be credited to the big landlords in the south of the province and not the middle class in central Punjab. Any gains made here will only go to strengthen the landlords’ own power, not Zardari’s. Nominating Ahmed Mukhtar for the premiership may be Zardari’s only hope of controlling Punjab.

But if the party has any influence on Zardari, Amin Fahim will likely emerge as the consensus candidate. A suave man in his 60s, he is not known to take extreme positions on issues, and leaves the door open for a next round. He may just be the stopgap man for the job that the party needs given its current challenges.

The writer is an editor with Dawn, Karachi.murtazarazvi@hotmail.com