The decision was made at a meeting of senior PPP leaders chaired early this morning by President Asif Ali Zardari, Geo News channel quoted its sources as saying. The meeting further decided to convene a session of the National Assembly or lower house of parliament on Thursday to formally elect the new leader of the House, the report said.

There was no official word on the development from the PPP or the presidency. The move came in the wake of two separate meetings of the PPP’s central executive committee and the leaders of the ruling coalition led by the PPP. Both meetings had authorised Zardari, to choose the new premier.