ISLAMABAD: The coalition parties under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government have reached a consensus to nominate the caretaker Prime Minister from a smaller province of Pakistan.
This agreement was reached during a meeting convened by Shehbaz Sharif at the Prime Minister’s House, attended by former President Asif Ali Zardari, Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Maulana Fazlur Rehman of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui of MQM-Pakistan, and representatives from other alliance parties.
Expressing their confidence in Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the coalition partners delegated the decision of selecting the caretaker prime minister to him.
In the meeting, it was collectively decided that the caretaker prime minister would be chosen from a smaller province, possibly from Balochistan or Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Earlier, speaking to journalists in an informal session, has hinted that the decision concerning the appointment of the caretaker prime minister could be reached by Saturday.
Sharif said he would hold discussions with coalition party leaders on Friday night and subsequently with the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Raja Riaz, either on Friday or Saturday.
PM’s Response to President Over Caretaker Prime Minister
Taking a deep dig at President Arif Alvi for asking name for the caretaker prime minister by Saturday, Shehbaz Sharif asked why President Alvi was in a hurry over the caretaker set-up. He added that the president should have consulted the Constitution before writing to him. He said the Constitution allowed him eight days to name a caretaker prime minister. If consensus cannot be reached on a single candidate, Sharif clarified that the matter would be referred to a parliamentary committee, empowered to decide within three days. If the committee fails to reach an agreement, the Election Commission would take responsibility and arrive at a final verdict within two days.
He characterized the 16 months of his tenure as the most challenging period in his 38-year political career. Despite the difficulties, he credited the collective efforts of all stakeholders for significant achievements in various areas.
Sharif highlighted the government’s vigorous response during the floods, releasing Rs100 billion from the previous government’s reserves along with contributions from provinces and relevant departments.
Regarding the successful IMF agreement, he labeled it a major challenge that was surmounted through the combined efforts of his team, effectively averting potential chaos in the country.
Speaking about diplomatic accomplishments, he indicated that the government had successfully mended relations with friendly nations, rectifying strained ties from the previous government’s era due to baseless allegations.
While alluding to recent news about a cipher, the prime minister suggested that yesterday’s story had exposed everything.
He acknowledged that oil prices were beyond the government’s control, but highlighted that whenever there were price reductions, they were passed on to the consumers.
He shared details about the establishment of the Special Investment Facilitation Council as a mechanism to accelerate the nation’s progress and prosperity.
