Prez Alvi asks PM Shehbaz, Raja Riaz to propose caretaker PM's name by tomorrow

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan President Arif Alvi on Friday asked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and outgoing Leader of the Opposition Raja Riaz to propose the name of caretaker premier by tomorrow, Dawn reported. This comes after the National Assembly was dissolved on August 9, and the Prime Minister and opposition leader began meetings to select a candidate for the interim premier.

The first meeting was held on Thursday in which six names had come under discussion. Both leaders are expected to meet again for another round of deliberations. In a letter written to PM Shehbaz and Riaz today, the president recalled that he had dissolved the NA on the former’s advice on Aug 9, as per Dawn.

“Under Provision of Article 224 (1A) of the Constitution, the president appoints the caretaker prime minister in consultation with the [outgoing] prime minister and leader of the opposition in the outgoing NA,” he stated “Under Article 224A of the Constitution, PM and leader of the opposition in the outgoing NA is required to propose the name of a person for the appointment of caretaker prime minister within three days of the dissolution of the NA,” Dawn quoted the statement. Alvi also directed PM Shehbaz and Riaz to propose the name of the interim premier “not later than August 12”.

According to the Pakistan Constitution, the premier and the outgoing opposition leader in the NA have three days to decide the name of the interim prime minister. In case the two fail to agree on a name, the matter would be referred to a parliamentary committee. If the committee fails to make any decision, then the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will have two days to choose the caretaker prime minister from the list of names shared with the commission, according to Dawn.

There are speculations that PM Shehbaz wants to stay in office till August 14 so he could attend the flag-hoisting ceremony on Independence Day, after which a caretaker premier will take an oath, as per Dawn. Notably, on July 12, the prime minister had first said that his government’s tenure would end on August 14, although the information minister later clarified that the PM had gotten the date wrong.

As per the Constitution, PM Shehbaz can act as the caretaker prime minister till the appointment of the head of the interim set-up. Article 94 of the Constitution says, “The president may ask the prime minister to continue to hold office until his successor enters upon the office of prime minister,” Dawn reported. Some believe that one of the reasons for the delay in deciding the name of the head of the interim set-up is PML-N’s desire to see its own man in office.

Dawn reported citing sources that PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari were calling the shots on the issue of the appointment of the caretaker PM in consultation with the “third party”.