ISLAMABAD: Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will decide the name of the caretaker prime minister (PM) if the government and opposition fail to reach a consensus in Parliament, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said on Thursday.
Addressing a press conference in the capital, PM Abbasi said both the government and opposition had put forward three names each. They will meet again for the final round to evolve a consensus on any one of the proposed names or any other one.
“In case, both the sides failed to reach an agreement, they will propose two names each to be forwarded to the parliamentary committee. If the matter remained unresolved at parliament too, the same four names would be referred to the election commission for the final decision,” he said.
To a question, the prime minister said the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) had neither boycotted the elections nor it would do such a thing in future.
PM Abbasi said the voter base of the PML-N was intact as the people realized the situation and they would give their verdict in July 2018 elections.
To a question whether the government would take action against those whom Nawaz Sharif had mentioned in his doctrine, the prime minister said such things could not be prosecuted. “However, truth and reconciliation commission could be formed to look into such matters as had been in vogue in other countries,” he said.
He viewed that such commissions should also be formed through national consensus to document what had been happening in the country.
When asked why a huge number of parliamentarians had not come up for voting on the constitutional amendment for FATA reforms, the prime minister said 22 members from his party were absent and he would question them. He said some members had genuine reasons for absence and a few other had not come as they had left the party.
He said not a huge number had quit the party. “Those who were blaming Nawaz Sharif’s doctrine behind their decision to leave the party was just a notion because the doctrine had nothing to go against for,” he clarified.
He said everyone including him was well-aware of the people and their political career who had left the party. They have exercised their right but they will get no advantage out of it, he added.
