Pak PM Sharif says name of caretaker premier to be finalised by Saturday

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Friday the name of the caretaker premier would be finalised by Saturday, as the country's president wrote to him and the opposition leader to propose a ''suitable person'' for appointment by August 12.

Prime Minister Sharif told journalists in Islamabad that he and opposition leader Raja Riaz would finalise the name by Saturday and the former coalition parties would also be taken on board for political consultations.

“Coalition partners will be taken into confidence over the matter before taking a final decision,” he said.

Sharif said the Constitution provided eight days for the appointment of the caretaker premier after the dissolution of the National Assembly (NA), the lower house of Parliament.

According to the Constitution, the premier and the outgoing opposition leader in the NA have three days to decide the name of the interim prime minister.

In case the two fail to agree on a name, the matter would be referred to a parliamentary committee. If the committee fails to make any decision, then the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will have two days to choose the caretaker prime minister from the list of names shared with the commission.

Prime Minister Sharif organised a dinner for his coalition partners and used the occasion for consultation on the issue of the caretaker prime minister.

Separately, President Arif Alvi wrote a letter to the prime minister and leader of the opposition to remind them that under Article 224A, they are supposed to propose a name for an interim prime minister within three days of the dissolution of the National Assembly.

“As provided in Article 224 (1A) of the Constitution of Pakistan, the Prime Minister and leader of the Opposition in the outgoing National Assembly may propose a suitable person for the appointment of care-taker Prime Minister not later than 12th August,” said President Alvi in the letter.

Sharif and Riaz held the first meeting on Thursday, a day after the premature dissolution of the National Assembly, and agreed to meet again on Friday for further consultations.

The Pakistan Peoples Party has proposed the names of former diplomat Jalil Abbas Jilani and former chief justice of Pakistan Tassaduq Hussain Jilani while Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) put forward the name of Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has kept its cards close to the chest, keeping everyone guessing about its candidate.

One of the reasons for the delay in deciding the name of the head of the interim set-up is believed to be the PML-N’s desire to see its own man in office, the Dawn newspaper reported.

Some in political circles believe that Prime Minister Sharif wants to stay in office till August 14 so he could attend the flag-hoisting ceremony on Independence Day, after which a caretaker premier will take an oath.

A senior leader of the PML-N told the newspaper that Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani was “one of the strongest candidates”.

“The Senate chairman can be the dark horse,” he said while referring to Defence Minister Khawaja Asif who had first used the term “dark horse”.

Other possible contenders are Jilal Abbas Jilani, former finance ministers Hafeez Sheikh and Ishaq Dar, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, ex-principal secretary Fawad Hassan Fawad, ex-justice Tassaduq Jilani, Abdullah Hussain Haroon, Pir Pagaro, and Makhdoom Mehmood Ahmed.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)