Zardari should give up Pakistan president bid says rival

By Robert Birsel Reuters - Friday, August 29 09:30 am

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The widower of assassinated former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto should withdraw as a candidate for president because of questions about his mental health, a rival candidate said on Friday.

Bhutto's party has nominated Asif Ali Zardari and analysts say he should be able to secure enough votes to win a September 6 vote by legislators for a replacement for Pervez Musharraf, who resigned as president last week.

Investors hope the presidential election will bring some stability and a clearer outlook for the country.

Britain's Financial Times newspaper published a report this week suggesting Zardari, who spent 11 years in prison on various charges but was never convicted, suffered from mental problems.

Bhutto's party has dismissed the report, saying Zardari was tortured while in prison and as a result had been under mental stress and had had a heart problem, but had never been mentally ill.

But rival presidential candidate Mushahid Hussain Sayed, a former government minister and top official of the main pro-Musharraf party, said the report raised questions and Zardari should withdraw.

Referring to the report, Sayed said: "It is legitimate for the people of Pakistan to ask whether that story is true or not and what is his response because, so far, neither the government of Pakistan nor Mr Zardari has responded."

It was in the interests of the country, of democracy and of Zardari's party for the office of the president to remain above controversy, he said.

"I would humbly request him ... that he should withdraw his candidature in the supreme national interest, in the interest of democratic stability and also in the interest of the future prospects of his ... party," Sayed said.

The Election Commission will issue a final list of candidates on Saturday.

"UNANIMOUS CHOICE"

A party spokeswoman dismissed any suggestion Zardari would withdraw, and also dismissed newspaper speculation some members of his party were recommending he pull out and focus on running the party.

"Mr Zardari is the Pakistan People's Party's unanimous choice and he accepted our request to take the nomination for the position of president," said spokeswoman Farahnaz Isphani.

Political uncertainty, militant violence and economic woes have undermined investor confidence in Pakistan, leading to a sharp slide in stocks which authorities have tried to halt by setting a floor for the main share index.

Pakistan's stock market, which rose for six consecutive years to 2007 and was one of the best-performing markets in Asia in that period, has fallen about 36 percent this year.

The market was marginally higher on Friday, a day after exchange authorities announced they were setting a floor for the index at Wednesday's closing level.

The rupee has lost about a quarter of its value against the dollar this year.

(Editing by Jerry Norton)

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