President Dr. Arif Alvi has called upon Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the Leader of the Opposition in the outgoing National Assembly Raja Riaz to nominate a suitable candidate for the position of Caretaker Prime Minister by August 12, 2023.
In a formal communication addressed to both the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader, President Alvi cited Article 224A of the Constitution, which stipulates that within three days of the National Assembly’s dissolution, the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition are obligated to put forward a nominee for the role of Caretaker Prime Minister.
“Under proviso to Article 224 (1A) of the Constitution, the president appoints care-taker prime minister in consultation with Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition in the outgoing National Assembly”, he added.
He said the prime minister advised him on August 9 for dissolution of National Assembly under Article 58 (1) of the Constitution which he approved and dissolved the assembly on same day.
“As provided in Article 224 (1A) of Constitution of Pakistan, Prime Minister and leader of Opposition in the outgoing National Assembly may propose a suitable person for appointment of care-taker prime minister not later than August 12, 2023,” the president added.
Following the dissolution of the National Assembly on August 9, the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition have initiated discussions to select an interim Prime Minister.
In their initial meeting on Thursday, six names were considered for the role. Both leaders are scheduled to meet again today for further deliberations.
In accordance with the Constitution, the outgoing Prime Minister and the opposition leader have a three-day window to finalize their choice for the interim prime minister.
Should they fail to reach an agreement, the matter will be referred to a parliamentary committee. If the committee is unable to make a decision, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will then have two days to select the caretaker prime minister from the list of nominees provided.
As per the Constitution, Prime Minister Shehbaz can serve as the caretaker prime minister until the interim administration’s leader assumes office. Article 94 of the Constitution states, “The president may ask the prime minister to continue to hold office until his successor enters upon the office of prime minister.”
