Pak FM Dar likely to become caretaker PM

Islamabad, July 23

The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party is considering proposing the name of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar as the caretaker prime minister of the cash-strapped country once the term of the current National Assembly ends next month, a media report said on Sunday.

The tenure of Pakistan’s current government will end on August 14 and the Election Commission will announce the date for the next general election, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said. The Pakistani media has reported that the current federal government led by Prime Minister Sharif may dissolve the National Assembly on August 8, days ahead of the expiry of its term.

Dar’s name came into focus as the Shehbaz Sharif-led government mulled changes in the Elections Act 2017 to empower the upcoming caretaker set-up to take decisions beyond its constitutional mandate, with a view to ensure continuity of the recently rolled out economic plan and expedite the process aimed at receiving foreign investment in state-owned entities, reported The Express Tribune newspaper.

The Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) was considering proposing the name of Dar, 73, for the caretaker prime minister as part of a broader plan to ensure the implementation of the economic policies, sources said. If the National Assembly is dissolved prematurely, it would give the government 90 days to conduct elections. The caretaker PM will administer the country till a new government is formed. — PTI

PPP support needed

Sources said the PML-N top leadership wanted Finance Minister Ishaq Dar to be appointed as the caretaker PM once the term of the current National Assembly ends next month. However, the Pakistan Peoples Party’s endorsement was needed for this arrangement. There might also be objections to the political affiliation of Ishaq Dar.