Who will be the caretaker prime minister of Pakistan?
After dissolution of the National Assembly on Tuesday, Pakistanis are anxiously waiting for announcement of caretaker prime minister’s name.
The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led government decided to dissolve the lower house of parliament prematurely on August 9, three days before completion of its constitutional term on August 12. The move was meant to allow the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold general elections within 90 days instead of 60 days, the stipulated time period if the legislature completes its tenure.
Guessing game is rife on mainstream and social media, with analysts and political pundits speculating the name of a potential candidate for the post of interim prime minister.
A day earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said no name for the caretaker prime minister had been finalised yet, and consultation on the matter with allies and party supremo Nawaz Sharif was under way.
Under the Constitution, PM Shehbaz and Leader of Opposition Raja Riaz were required to hold deliberations to pick the interim prime minister. However, they have not held a consultation yet with sources saying that Riaz postponed meeting with the premier on Tuesday owing to his “busy schedule”.
However, he himself confirmed that despite the delay, his meeting will be held on Tuesday. “It is possible to meet the prime minister again tomorrow.”
The meeting between the two was scheduled to be held at 4pm on Tuesday and the opposition leader was informed about it in writing.
Here some of the names, which have surfaced for caretaker prime minister’s office so far:
Ishaq Dar
Former finance minister Ishaq Dar’s name was first reported in the media for the slot of caretaker prime minister a few days ago. However, the reports drew a widespread backlash from the masses and different political parties. Following the backlash, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) rejected the media reports, saying that his name was never proposed for the coveted slot. Dar is the leader PML-N patron Nawaz Sharif trusts the most. He is also a close relative of the former prime minister who is currently living in self-imposed exile in London.
