The wait for the nation may be over by tomorrow (August 12) as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif affirmed on Friday that the name of caretaker premier would be finalized by Saturday.
He confirmed this to the media as cited by Radio Pakistan which was a national broadcaster.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, while speaking to journalists in Islamabad, iterated that coalition partners were actively engaged in the decision-making process before arriving at a final choice.
He highlighted that the Constitution allows a period of eight days for the appointment of the caretaker premier, a timeframe within which the decision is expected to be made.
In the wake of the National Assembly’s dissolution, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and outgoing Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Raja Riaz, held discussions regarding potential candidates for the significant role.
A day earlier, Raja Riaz shared that a list of six possible candidates was being considered, and there was no urgency to rush the selection process.
The constitutional framework states that the Prime Minister and the outgoing opposition leader in the National Assembly have three days to mutually decide upon the name of the interim prime minister.
If an agreement is not reached, the matter will be referred to a parliamentary committee. Should the committee fail to reach a decision, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will have two days to choose the caretaker prime minister from the provided list of candidates.
Article 94 of the Constitution grants Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif the authority to serve as the caretaker prime minister until the appointment of the head of the interim government. It states, “The president may ask the prime minister to continue to hold office until his successor enters upon the office of prime minister.”
However, President Dr. Arif Alvi wrote a letter to both the leaders to decide upon the name of caretaker prime minister by tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the Senate Secretariat has announced the postponement of its committee meetings until the caretaker government is established.
The announcement specified that all Senate committee meetings, including the presentation of reports on legislative and non-legislative matters, will be put on hold until the notification of the caretaker prime minister and cabinet.
