NA likely to be dissolved on Aug 11

Consultations over caretaker PM pick up steam

ISLAMABAD:

The ruling coalition will dissolve parliament and hand over the reins to a caretaker government on August 11, a day before it is constitutionally required to do so, in preparation for the general elections as the preparations to cobble together an interim set-up picked up steam with parleys among opposition parties likely entering a penultimate stage.

The legally required consultations over candidates for the caretaker government are expected to take place between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the opposition leader in the National Assembly within a few days.

Following the consultations, ab advice will be sent to the president on August 11 to green-light the dissolution of the legislature. In case the government doesn't receive a nod from the president, the assembly will stand dissolved automatically 48 hours after he has been asked to do so.

As per the stipulations of the constitution, a caretaker PM will then be appointed by the president in consultation with the PM and leader of the opposition.

The president will write to the government and the opposition to submit the names of the contenders for the coveted post and, in case of a consensus, the president will notify the interim premier after three days.

However, in the event of a failure to build a consensus, the matter will be left to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to pick from the candidates proposed by both sides within a period of three days.

A caretaker government has 90 days in which to hold a general election when a government hands over power early, but it would have had 60 days if the government had handed over power at the designated time.

The current legislature is set to expire after completing its five-year constitutional term on August 12.

According to the constitution, a caretaker PM is appointed by the president in consultation with the PM and leader of the opposition in the outgoing National Assembly.Opp meets to discuss caretaker PMOn the other hand, opposition leader in the National Assembly (NA) Raja Riaz has called a meeting of the opposition parties on August 2 to consult over the name of the caretaker PM.

The consultations are scheduled to begin on Wednesday and Raja Riaz aims to propose three candidates for the crucial position.

Members of Jamaat-e-Islami and GDA have also been invited to the consultative session while an effort will be made to include economists, politicians and technocrats in the suggested names.

Riaz was appointed as the opposition leader in May 2022 after being nominated by NA Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf. He was part of a group of PTI dissidents who had chosen to stay in the National Assembly after other party MNAs had resigned at the directions of the party chairman.‘PM hasn’t ruled out any candidate’Meanwhile, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb denied media reports and asserted PM Shehbaz has not chosen or ruled out any candidate for interim prime minister as yet.

In a tweet, she said the appointment of the interim prime minister will be carried out according to the procedure laid down in the constitution, both in letter and spirit.

The minister said that the PM would consult with all allied parties in the government and would obtain guidance from PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif to identify the most suitable candidate.

After consulting with the allies, the prime minister will consult with the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly to take a decision on the matter as stipulated by the constitution, she added.