Following meeting with Shehbaz, opposition leader says they will 'certainly agree' on caretaker PM's name

Leader of the Opposition in the now-dissolved National Assembly Raja Riaz met with the outgoing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday to discuss the selection of a caretaker PM, Aaj news reported. He said the meeting took place in a “positive environment” and that he was “certain they would agree on a candidate in the coming days.”

While talking to reporters after the meeting, the opposition leader remarked: “I have given him the names of the candidates for the caretaker prime minister.

“I asked the prime minister to consider the names till tomorrow,” he said.

Riaz refused to comment on the names being discussed in media, saying that during the meeting they agreed not to publicly disclose the names being considered for the top post.

“We held the initial meeting today and the premier did not know which names he would offer,” the opposition leader said.

“Likewise, I didn’t know which names he was going to present,” he stressed. “We both have to consult on the names shared with each other.”

According to the opposition leader, six candidates have emerged for the position of interim prime minister.

The opposition leader said today was the first day of consultation when reporters questioned why they couldn’t agree on a name today and if there was any disagreement.

Earlier, the PM wrote a letter to Riaz, inviting him for a meeting today for consultations on the appointment of a caretaker PM at the PM House, Radio Pakistan reported.

The National Assembly was dissolved by President Dr Arif Alvi at midnight under Article 58(1) on the advice of the prime minister.

However, the outgoing government has failed to name the caretaker prime minister who would head the interim set-up till general elections. In case there is no consensus on any name, the matter would be referred to a parliamentary committee.

If the committee also fails to make any decision, then the ECP will have two days to choose the caretaker premier from the list of names shared with the ECP.

On Tuesday, Riaz said that he had not yet spoken with the premier about the names of the caretaker prime minister.

“I hope to have a meeting in which these things will be discussed,” he said, adding that the consultation would happen at “the right time”.

However, Riaz said he had completed the consultation process with his allies, adding that the three names for the interim prime minister were “almost 90 percent finalised”.

Regarding potential delays in elections, Riaz said elections should ideally be held within three months, but the latest census’s approval has complicated the matters.

He was of the view that the election might be delayed by six months.

According to Article 224 of the Constitution, “A general election to the National Assembly or a provincial assembly shall be held within a period of 60 days immediately following the day on which the term of the assembly is due to expire unless the Assembly has been sooner dissolved”.

In case of early dissolution, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is bound to hold the general elections within 90 days after the dissolution, according to Article 224(2).