–Khurseehd Shah says name of caretaker PM ‘secure in his heart’ until formal disclosure
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Opposition leader Khursheed Shah on Friday finally arrived at a consensus pertaining to the name of caretaker PM.
Talking to media, Shah refused to reveal the name and said that the announcement will be made on May 15.
“The name of caretaker PM is secure in my heart. I will not tell it to media no matter how many time they ask,” asserted Shah.
In a previous meeting between PM Abbasi and Shah, names of former finance minister Dr Hafeez Pasha, former chief justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani and former governors of State Bank Dr Shamshad and Ishrat Hussain were taken under consideration.
Earlier, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) finalised three names for the caretaker prime minister. According to reports, the names were finalised after the PTI chief’s consultation with senior leaders.
The names include Abdur Razzaq Daud, Tasadduq Jilani and Dr Ishrat Hussain to opposition leader Khurshid Shah. Daud has remained Trade Minister in the cabinet of former president Pervez Musharraf from 1999-2002.
Tasadduq Jilani has served as Chief Justice of Pakistan from 2013 to 2014 , while Hussain has remained governor State Bank from 1999-2006.
The formal process of choosing a caretaker prime minister is that the leaders of the house and the opposition in the National Assembly have time until May 31 – when the government completes its term – to agree upon a name for the candidate for a caretaker prime minister.
In case no consensus is reached, a parliamentary committee is going to be constituted by the NA speaker with the primary responsibility of choosing a candidate within 48 hours, no later than June 2. In case the committee also fails to come up with a name for caretaker PM, the Election Commission of Pakistan would be given another 48 hours to appoint the caretaker PM, no later than June 4.
The entire process cannot linger beyond June 4. Constitutionally, the caretaker PM has to be finalised by the government and opposition within this time frame.
A similar process is going to be followed in the provinces as well where the members of the treasury and opposition will have to agree on a certain candidate for caretaker chief ministers.
The caretaker setup, both at the centre and the provinces, is going to be functional for three months. New general elections will be held within this timeframe and a new government will be formed by a majority party in the newly elected lower house of the parliament, replacing the caretaker setup.
