All eyes on PM Shehbaz Sharif, Raja Riaz to finalize name for interim premier ahead of impending deadline
All eyes are set on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and outgoing Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly (NA) Raja Riaz as the deadline for the appointment of a consensus interim premier is nearing.
According to sources, the duo went into a final round of talks to finalize a name for the top job, failing which the matter would be referred to a parliamentary committee to pick a name from a list of candidates it so receives from the PM and the opposition leader for the caretaker prime minister.
On Friday, President Arif Alvi wrote to Prime Minister Shehbaz and Raja Riaz to propose a candidate for a caretaker prime minister by today. The Constitution mandates that the interim premier candidate be named within three days of the dissolution of the National Assembly. The NA was dissolved on August 9.
According to the law, if the outgoing Prime Minister and the leader of the opposition cannot agree on who to appoint as the caretaker premier, they each forward two names to a parliamentary committee. If the committee also encounters an impasse to make a decision, then the Election Commission of Pakistan will have two days to choose the caretaker prime minister from the list of names shared with the commission.
On Friday, talking to reporters in Islamabad, PM Shehbaz Sharif expressed the confidence that the name of the head of the interim setup would be finalized by Saturday deadline.
The first meeting for deliberations between the two sides was held at the Prime Minister’s House on Friday, a day after the dissolution of the NA, which remained inconclusive.
In a letter written to PM Shehbaz and Opposition Leader Raja Riaz on Friday, President Dr Arif Alvi recalled that he had dissolved the National Assembly on the premier’s advice on Aug 9.
“Under provision to Article 224 (1A) of the Constitution, President appoints caretaker prime minister in consultation with the prime minister and leader of the opposition in the National Assembly,” the letter read.
“Under Article 224A of the Constitution, the prime minister and the leader of the opposition in the outgoing National Assembly are required to propose the name of a person for the appointment of caretaker prime minister within three days of the dissolution of the National Assembly.” President Alvi then directed PM Shehbaz and Riaz to propose the name of the interim premier “not later than” Aug 12. – our reporter and news agencies
