A little-known senator from Pakistan’s least populous province has been announced as caretaker prime minister to see the country through to the next election, the leader of the opposition said.
The Pakistani prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, and opposition leader, Raja Riaz, agreed on Saturday to name senator Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar as caretaker premier.
Kakar, who is from the south-western province of Balochistan, will name a cabinet and head a government to steer the country through an economic and political crisis until a new government is elected.
“The prime minister [Sharif] and leader of opposition have jointly signed the advice which will be sent to the president for approval,” a statement said.
Pakistan’s Geo News said the president, Arif Alvi, had approved Kakar’s appointment.
Kakar has served as spokesperson for the Balochistan government and is known for his close relationship with the military establishment.
Nusrat Javeed, a political analyst, said the nomination of Kakar for caretaker prime minister had come from the most powerful institution.
Former information minister of Pakistan Fawad Chaudhry, a colleague of Kakar, said Pakistan was gripped with a surge of terrorism and Kakar was someone who understood the dynamic of terrorism.
Chaudhry said: “Kakar’s nomination as caretaker prime minister certainly is something that would not bring joy for the camps of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-N and Pakistan People’s party.
“Kakar is someone with a keen eye on international politics. He has very strong connections with right quarters.”
Under Pakistan’s constitution, a neutral caretaker government oversees national elections, which must be held within 90 days of the dissolution of the parliament’s lower house – which in this instance means early November.
The choice of caretaker prime minister has assumed heightened importance this time because the candidate will have extra powers to make policy decisions on economic matters, and amid fears the elections may be delayed by as much as six months.
The election commission has to draw new boundaries for hundreds of federal and provincial constituencies and, based on that, it will give an election date.
Pakistan’s parliament was dissolved on Wednesday and by law an election should be held within 90 days, but the results of the latest census released last week means more time will probably be needed to redraw constituencies.
The former prime minister Imran Khan, was convicted of graft last weekend and sentenced to three years in prison.
The interim government takes over a country that has been in political turmoil since Khan was dismissed by a no-confidence vote in April last year, and is also facing overlapping economic and security issues.
English (US)