President Alvi asks PM, Raja Riaz to finalise caretaker PM’s name by Aug 12

ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi on Friday asked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and outgoing Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly (NA) Raja Riaz to propose a name for appointment of caretaker PM by tomorrow (August 12), ARY News reported.  

According to details, the president sought the names in a letter to the prime minister and the opposition leader.

In a letter, President Alvi said under Article 224A of Constitution, PM Shehbaz and Raja Riaz were required to propose name of a person for appointment of caretaker prime minister within three days of dissolution of National Assembly.

صدر مملکت ڈاکٹر عارف علوی نے وزیرِ اعظم اور قائدِ حزبِ اختلاف کو 12 اگست تک نگران وزیرِ اعظم کا نام دینے کا کہہ دیا

صدر مملکت کا وزیراعظم میاں محمد شہبار شریف اور تحلیل شدہ قومی اسمبلی کے قائدِ حزبِ اختلاف راجہ ریاض احمد کو خط pic.twitter.com/ldfSL49flP

— The President of Pakistan (@PresOfPakistan) August 11, 2023

“Under proviso to Article 224 (1A) of the Constitution, the president appoints caretaker 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.

Read More: National Assembly stands dissolved as President Alvi signs summary

It is pertinent to mention here that PM Shehbaz and opposition leader Raja Riaz began meetings to select a candidate for the interim premier after the National Assembly (NA) stood dissolved on August 9.

Both leaders are expected to meet again today for another round of deliberations.

Read More: Shehbaz Sharif writes to Raja Riaz for deliberations on caretaker PM

The prime minister and the opposition leader have to reach to a consensus for the top office of the interim setup within a span of three days. If they fail to reach a decision the matter will be decided by a parliamentary body within next three days, if the deadlock persists, the election commission will announce the name of caretaker prime minister in next two days.

Who will be Caretaker PM?

Who will be the Caretaker PM, who will lead the country to the upcoming election, is a question running rumor mills across the country. Whether the caretaker prime minister will be a bureaucrat or a politician, is likely to be decided in the upcoming meeting of PM Shehbaz Sharif and opposition leader Raja Riaz.

According to government sources, a bureaucrat has been a frontrunner in the caretaker prime minister’s race.

The names of Ishaq Dar, Hafeez Sheikh and Justice Shakeel Baloch among others surfaced for the interim premier’s slot. The name of Hafeez Sheikh, a former finance minister of Pakistan also being taken for a key portfolio in the upcoming caretaker setup.

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) pitched former foreign secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani’s name for the caretaker Prime Minister slot yesterday. According to sources, PPP had suggested Jalil Abbas Jilani’s name for the caretaker PM during a meeting between former president Asif Zardari and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif.

Sources further said that Nawaz Sharif had no objection to Jilani’s name for the caretaker PM slot. Jilani is a cousin of PPP stalwart Yousaf Raza Gillani.