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To the right of the photograph sat Bhutto's 17-year-old daughter, Bakhtawar.To the left sat Mr Fahim, her deputy and now the PPP's most likely candidate for Prime Minister in the coming elections. To the left of him sat Bilawal.

The meeting began with Bilawal opening and reading out the hand-written will that his mother signed and gave him in Britain on October 16, two days before she ended eight years of self-imposed exile and returned to Pakistan.

In the will, she said that Mr Zardari, her husband, should succeed her as head of the PPP.

When Bilawal had finished, Mr Zardari duly took his place next to his late wife's widow at the head of the table but immediately announced that he was appointing his son to take his place.

Bilawal explained afterwards: "While I'm at university, I'll continue my studies and my father will take care of the party. When I return, I will lead the party as my mother wanted me to."

Before he could elaborate, Mr Zardari asked reporters not to direct further questions at his son, citing his tender age and the sensitivity of the political situation.

Other relatives told The Times that Bilawal had been reluctant to take up the leadership of the party for which his mother and grandfather sacrificed their lives.

"He didn't want to do it. He wanted to continue his studies. Until yesterday he was sceptical," said Ali Jafri, who is married to Ms Bhutto's cousin, Laleh, and lived with them in exile in Dubai for most of the last decade. "He was a very shy boy, but with tonnes of effort, we have groomed him very well," said Mr Jafri, who taught the young Bilawal how to swim.

"He was learning everything from her [his mother] about politics and Pakistan. It was all pre-planned. Her main aim and objective was eventually for him to replace her."

He said Bilawal was not a sportsman and, like his mother, preferred to spend his time reading books and magazines, but other relatives said he had a passion for horses and horse-riding and also had a black belt in taekwondo.

Bilawal moved to Dubai when his mother went into exile there in 1999 and was educated at the exclusive Sheikh Latifa Schoool, which is owned by the ruling family of Dubai and attended by the children of prominent Emirati leaders. Many of his best friends are from there.

Mr Jafri also said that Bilawal had recently joined the Oxford Union, the university debating society of which his mother was the first Asian president, and which helped to hone her political skills.

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