PTI finalises three names for caretaker prime minister

ISLAMABAD: After days-long deliberation and consultation within the party circles, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has finally consented on three names for the caretaker prime minister.

According to sources, the PTI has mooted three names, which are; former commerce minister Abdul Razzaq Dawood, former chief justice of Pakistan Tasadduq Jilani and former governor State Bank Dr. Ishrat Hussain.

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Shah Mehmood Qureshi has been tasked to convey this to Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed who is consulting other political parties in this regard.

Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and the opposition leader held the third round of the consultations over the name of caretaker prime minister last week and decided to continue consultation to finalise the caretaker set-up by the mid of May.

Abdul Razzaq Dawood served as commerce minister during Musharraf regime. He continued as the minister from 1999 to 2002.

While, Mr. Jillani served as the 21st Chief Justice of Pakistan from 12 December 2013 to 5 July 2014. Dr. Ishrat Hussain was the State Bank governor from 1999 to 2006. In 2013, Pakistan People’s Party had also proposed Ishrat Hussain as caretaker PM but the PML-N rejected the proposal.

It is learnt that the PTI had also finalized names of the caretaker chief minister of Punjab. They are Salman Shah, Shahid Kardar and Tariq Khosa.

The prime minister had earlier said in a statement that a caretaker premier should be a person, who remains undisputed and non-controversial, and whose past is clear.

Chief of Jamaat-i-Islami Senator Sirajul Haq had earlier mooted a proposal, seeking prominent scientist Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan as caretaker prime minister of Pakistan for the upcoming general elections of 2018.