Caretaker PM Kakar wasn’t picked by establishment: Khawaja Asif

Former Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Wednesday denied the impression that the establishment picked the Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, saying the PDM parties wanted to nominate someone who would ensure transparent elections, Aaj News reported.

Speaking to Asma Shirazi in ‘Faisla Aap Ka,’ Asif said that ever since the process of finalising a caretaker PM started, the parties involved were careful not to pick someone who could raise doubt over transparency in the elections.

“The Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) has an impact on politics in Balochistan. However, Kakar would not have enough influence to affect elections in the entire country,” he added.

When asked if the nomination of Kakar came as a surprise for allied parties, Asif added that most significant parties knew about his consideration at least 48 hours in advance.

He added that Kakar’s nomination would help alleviate the sense of deprivation in Balochistan as the province had long suffered.

Answering a question about his remarks about a consensus of Abdul Malik Baloch as caretaker PM, Asif said a meeting under Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf had led to the discussion over multiple names, including Dr Malik.

He also added that a name from KP, a name from Sindh, and two from South Punjab had also been finalised.

Khawaja Asif also dispelled the notion that Kakar was the establishment’s choice. However, he added that the PPP had severe reservations about many names proposed by the other parties.

He added that the name of all three Jillani brothers had been considered for caretaker PM.

On a possible election delay, Asif said a lot would depend on the Election Commission of Pakistan, which had a free hand to conduct elections. However, he admitted that uncertainty over the time of elections had been created.

Asif said that even if there was no problem, the people, politicians, and media had an overactive imagination that could think up a crisis.

Nawaz Sharif’s return

To a question about his party’s supremo Nawaz Sharif’s return, he said the decision should be made after the announcement of elections.

He believed that Nawaz’s return would activate dormant voters and accelerate PML-N’s election campaign, adding that the party would contest the next election on the “vote ko izzat do” slogan.