ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has decided to propose the name of party leader Ishaq Dar as the Caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan.
According to reports, PML-N has decided to nominate the party leader and current finance minister for the post to ensure the continuation of economic policies. The final decision will be after taking the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and allied parties into confidence.
The five-member negotiating committee of the PML-N is consulting all allied parties on the name of Ishaq Dar for the interim setup. The name of Ishaq Dar will be included among the three recommendations sent by the Prime Minister to the Leader of Opposition for the appointment.
The PPP and JUI-F have denied reports that Ishaq Dar is being considered for the post of Caretaker Prime Minister. They said there has been no agreement on Ishaq Dar’s name and a neutral person will be appointed.
The Pakistan Tehreek-Insaf (PTI) decried the decision to consider appointing Ishaq Dar as the Caretaker Prime Minister. PTI West Punjab President Farrukh Habib said the PML-N is brazenly defying the Constitution which states the interim setup should be impartial.
“The Sharif family has enjoyed looting so much while in power that they want Ishaq Dar to be made caretaker prime minister and how brazenly these people are defying the constitution, which clearly states that the caretaker setup should be neutral,” he said.
“If you want to make Ishaq Dar caretaker prime minister by trampling the constitution, then understand that there will be only selection, not elections, which will further damage the country,” he added.
Former Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said that appointing Ishaq Dar as the caretaker prime minister will prove the interim setup will be selected and biased.
“It will be the right decision to make Ishaq Dar the prime minister because he will not have to lie every day that the caretaker government is neutral,” Fawad said.
“Everyone knows how much the selected caretaker government of Shehbaz Sharif and Raja Riaz will comply with the constitutional requirements,” he said, adding that even government officials have doubts about the election.
The senior leadership of PPP and PML-N are expected to hold another meeting in London to reach a final decision on the formation of the caretaker setup and dissolution of the assemblies.
Nawaz Sharif has reached London after a four-week visit to the UAE and Saudi Arabia where he held political meetings. PPP co-chairman and former president Asif Ali Zardari will soon leave Dubai for London where he expected to meet the PML-N chief.
Both leaders will discuss matters related to the dissolution of assemblies, caretaker setup, and the name of the caretaker prime minister candidate.
