Pak’s Nawaz Sharif Looks the ‘Dar’ Way Round: Who Will Be the Caretaker PM? Exclusive

With the tenure of Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif-led current government ending on August 14, the political circles of the country​ are buzzing with activity.

Last month, the Pakistan’s National Assembly passed a bill to limit the lifetime disqualification of lawmakers to five years, freeing Shehbaz Sharif’s brother Nawaz Sharif to return from London to resume active politics ahead of the Pakistan general elections and become eligible for what could be his fourth stint as the PM. Sharif, 73, was disqualified for life in 2017 by the Supreme Court and later convicted in corruption cases by the accountability courts.

Nawaz Sharif wants his relative and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar to be the new Interim PM after Shehbaz Sharif. However, sources close to alliance partner Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) are not happy with someone close to the Sharifs’ ruling Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N) becoming the interim PM. A caretaker PM should be neutral, so that all stakeholders are on board.

Nawaz Sharif is again travelling to Dubai to meet leaders of his party and other leaders of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), a coalition of 11 parties, including the PPP and PMLN, against Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) Imran Khan. The PPP believes this delay in consensus is harmful for the PDM and establishment will take charge and will appoint their own person.

The final call will have to be between Nawaz Sharif and PPP chief Asif Ali Zardari and they will resolve this soon, according to sources close to the former.

WHY DAR?

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 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 were quoted as saying by the newspaper.

THE RULE BOOK

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.

Under the Constitution, if the National Assembly completes its term, polls are to be held within 60 days. But if the assembly is dissolved prematurely, even if by a day, it would give the government 90 days to conduct elections. The caretaker prime minister will administer the country till a new government is formed after the general elections. However, the final decision about the candidature of Dar will be taken next week in consultation with the PPP — one of the two main coalition partners.

MONEY MATTERS

The PML-N sources said that the government was considering amending Section 230 of the Elections Act 2017, empowering the caretaker set-up to take economic decisions and the amendments might be introduced in the National Assembly next week to allow the caretaker government to take decisions necessary to revive the economy.

Pakistan’s economy is passing through a phase where the matters cannot be left for three months on just day-to-day decision-making, a senior cabinet member said on the condition of anonymity.

If Dar is made the interim Prime Minister, he might not return to the next government as finance minister provided the current political dispensation makes a comeback. The name of Hafeez Shaikh, former finance minister, has also been making the rounds for the position of caretaker prime minister, according to the report.

With PTI Inputs