National Assembly Opposition Leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said on Friday that he had earlier contacted the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on nominating names for the caretaker prime minister, but added that due to the “non-serious attitude of PTI Chairman Imran Khan, we will not contact him directly and instead send the proposed names through Jamaat-e-Islami chief Munawar Hassan.”
Talking to reporters outside the parliament, Nisar said that he had been consulting with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leadership after receiving the prime minister’s letter, adding that he would respond in two or three days with two names for the caretaker prime minister.
He further said that if the prime minister and the opposition leader fail to reach consensus on the caretaker PM, then the matter would be referred to a parliamentary committee. However, only our proposed names would be forwarded to the committee, he added.
In response to a question, Nisar said the PML-N does not consider the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) an opposition party, and would not consult it on the caretaker setup. He said that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), through a conspiracy, had put the MQM on opposition benches. But even this card of President Zardari was foiled by the PML-N.
