PM Abbasi, Khursheed Shah meet today to decide Caretaker PM

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Leader of Opposition Syed Khursheed Shah will meet again today to discuss and decide the name of caretaker prime minister for the interim setup that will guide the country to general election.

The incumbent government will complete its tenure on May 31st.

Prime Minister Abbasi has been hopeful to reach to a consensus with the opposition leader over the name of the caretaker prime minister.

In their previous meeting the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader were failed to reach to consensus over the matter.

Khursheed Shah in a media talk casting doubt over nomination of a consensus candidate for the office of the caretaker prime minister by him and the premier, said that the matter of a caretaker set-up will go to a parliamentary committee to choose any of the proposed names for the interim premier.

Talking to media persons here said that the government and the opposition have failed to agree over a common name for the caretaker prime minister who will lead an interim setup to guide the country to the general elections.

“In case of disagreement a parliamentary committee, comprises of four members from each side, will decide the matter”, the opposition leader said.

The matter at the end will be decided by the election commission if the parliamentary panel also fail to reach to a decision over the matter.

Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in a recent interview said that the consultation process for the caretaker prime minister would be finalized within two of days.

He said, he along with Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah were discussing the names of six nominees, three each suggested by them.

Shah’s Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has floated the names of former Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Zaka Ashraf and former Pakistan envoy in Washington Jalil Abbas Jilani, for the office of the caretaker prime minister in the previous meeting.

According to sources, the government has suggested names of former chief justices of Pakistan Justice (retd) Nasir-ul-Mulk, Justice (retd) Tassaduq Hussain Jillani and former State Bank governor Dr Shamshad Akhtar.

The incumbent government is expected to wind up its five-year term on May 31, after which the caretaker set up will take over the government to hold the general elections, which are expected to be held in the last week of July.

The election commission has recently forwarded a summary about the date of the general election to the Presidency for the presidential approval, suggesting to hold the polls on July 25, 26 or 27.