According to state-run Radio Pakistan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed that the selection of the caretaker premier will be finalized today. The prime minister also stated that he will consult with coalition partners before making a final decision.
Following the dissolution of the National Assembly, PM Shehbaz and opposition leader Raja Riaz have been meeting to choose a candidate for the caretaker premier position. They are expected to meet again today to further deliberate on the matter.
PM Shehbaz acknowledged that the government was forced to impose levies on petroleum products due to the conditions imposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which has placed a financial burden on the people. He also mentioned that inflation has been affected by high commodity prices in the international market and the war in Ukraine.
The prime minister and opposition leader have three days to reach a consensus on the interim government’s top position. If they fail to do so, a parliamentary body will decide within the next three days. If a deadlock persists, the election commission will announce the name of the caretaker prime minister within two days.
President Alvi Writes Letter to PM Shehbaz and Raja Riaz
President Dr. Arif Alvi sent a letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Raja Riaz, requesting them to propose a name for the caretaker prime minister by tomorrow (August 12). According to Article 224A of the Constitution, PM Shehbaz and Raja Riaz are required to propose a name within three days of the National Assembly’s dissolution.
PM Shehbaz Sharif expressed annoyance over the letter from President Dr. Arif Alvi, questioning the premier and the outgoing National Assembly’s opposition leader, Raja Riaz, about the deadline for proposing a name for the caretaker prime minister.
Selection of Caretaker PM
The question of who will be the caretaker PM, leading the country to the upcoming elections, is raising curiosity across the nation. Whether the caretaker prime minister will be a bureaucrat or a politician will likely be decided in the upcoming meeting between PM Shehbaz Sharif and opposition leader Raja Riaz.
Government sources suggest that a bureaucrat is currently the frontrunner for the caretaker prime minister position. The names of Ishaq Dar, Hafeez Sheikh, and Justice Shakeel Baloch, among others, have been mentioned for the interim premier role. Hafeez Sheikh, a former finance minister of Pakistan, is also being considered for a key portfolio in the upcoming caretaker setup.
The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has suggested Jalil Abbas Jilani, a former foreign secretary, as the caretaker prime minister. The name was proposed during a meeting between former president Asif Zardari and PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif. Nawaz Sharif has no objection to Jilani’s nomination, who happens to be a cousin of PPP’s Yousaf Raza Gillani.