Former CJP Nasir-ul-Mulk finalized as caretaker prime minister

With just three days till the ruling party's tenure expires, Prime Minister (PM) Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Opposition Leader Syed Khursheed Shah have finally finalized the name of the caretaker PM and nominated former Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Nasir-ul-Mulk.

The PM, along with Shah and Speaker of National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq, held a joint presser at the Parliament House on Monday and announced the name of caretaker PM. The ruling Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz’s will finish their tenure on May 31.

Nasir-ul-Mulk took oath as the 22nd CJP in 2014. He is one of the seven judges who signed a restraining order on Nov 3, 2007, when General (retd) Pervez Musharraf imposed emergency and forcibly sent the judges home.

In another endeavor to form a consensus for caretaker premier, PM Abbasi and Shah met on Monday to hold yet another meeting regarding the issue. Shah reached the PM's office where they held a meeting to form a consensus on the name for caretaker PM.

Last week, Shah expressed his displeasure saying that PM Abbasi had no right to reject nominees for caretaker premier. He said that the government was backtracking from its original stance on the caretaker PM.

The general elections will be held on July 25 as President Mamnoon Hussain approved a summary sent by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). The ECP had recommended dates between July 25 and July 27 to the president to choose and fix a date between these for the upcoming general elections.