Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has reportedly decided to nominate Senator Ishaq Dar, the current finance minister, as interim prime minister.
The decision, made by a PMLN’s special committee, has been kept under wraps from the other political factions. However, several political pundits have expressed doubt over accepting Ishaq Dar’s appointment as interim PM by the Co-chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
PPP to Determine Interim Government Structure
Faisal Karim Kundi, Central PPP’s information secretary, has clarified that they have not received any official proposal regarding Ishaq Dar’s nomination for the interim PM post. He assured that future consultations might occur if Dar’s name comes up, but the final decision on the interim government structure would be made by PPP leadership.
While other parties like PML-N are in talks regarding the interim setup, the PPP’s leader stated that they’re still in discussions, with no decision yet made. A formal announcement will be made once a decision has been reached.
Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal suggested on Geo News that Dar could assume the caretaker PM role if all parties agreed on his nomination. However, he clarified that no such decision has been made yet.
Iqbal stressed that a decision on the interim PM post must be reached before the government’s term ends, as the standby agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) needs to be implemented. According to him, there’s a need for a stable government with a five-year mandate to negotiate a three-year program with the IMF.
Earlier this week, reports surfaced that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had established a five-member PML-N committee to advise on selecting an interim PM and the dissolution of the National Assembly.
The committee, comprising Ishaq Dar, Ahsan Iqbal, Khawaja Saad Rafiq, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, and Khawaja Muhammad Asif, is responsible for consulting with the political parties and groups forming the present administration.
Suppose the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly fail to initiate consultations. In that case, the matter may be forwarded to a parliamentary committee, expected to be formed by the NA speaker. Should this committee also fail to select an interim PM, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will then have the final say in the selection.
Interestingly, the government has overlooked political entities outside of parliament in these deliberations. Despite a recent request by Shah Mehmood Qureshi, vice-chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), for his party to be consulted on the upcoming elections, the government has not responded.
Initial consultations about the caretaker PM between Raja Riaz Ahmad, the opposition leader in the National Assembly, and the Prime Minister are scheduled for August 1.
