However, Makhdoom Shahabuddin is involved in the Ephedrine case and can be arrested anytime by the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF).

Some other names were also roaming around for the post of PM, including National Heritage and Integration Minister Samina Khalid Gurki and Religious Affairs Minister Khursheed Shah but the final name for the Prime Minister would be decided in the parliamentary party meeting of the PPP.

The decision was made at a meeting of senior PPP leaders, chaired early this morning by President Asif Ali Zardari. The meeting further decided to convene a session of the National Assembly on Thursday (June 21) to formally elect the new leader of the House, the report said.

The meeting was attended by senior party and coalition partners including Chaudhry Shujaat, Haji Adeel, Haider Abbas Rizvi, Babar Ghori, Munir Khan Orakzai and others.

According to media reports, PML-Q had some reservations over the nomination of Water and Power Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar as the Prime Minister candidate. This is because PML-Q and Chaudhry Mukhtar are considered arch-rivals after the 2008 elections.

With mutual consensus the coalition parties decided to authorize President Zardari to nominate the next premier.

Despite the speculations, there was also the possibility of a wild card entry as close watchers of Mr. Zardari’s moves maintain that he has pulled surprises in the past and that aspect cannot be ruled out. In any case, the next premier is also expected to meet the same fate as Mr. Gilani as no PPP Prime Minister will agree to the Supreme Court's directive to write to Swiss authorities asking for the reopening of graft cases against Mr. Zardari.

It was Mr. Gilani’s refusal to do so that put him in the dock and the issue is not settled with his ouster. In fact, the PPP leadership’s apprehension is that this is probably just the beginning as they expect the Supreme Court to pursue other cases involving some key party leaders with equal determination.