Islamabad (April 11, 2018): Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Opposition Leader Khursheed Shah held discussion pertaining to the setup of the caretaker government, which will take over once the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government completes its tenure in end May.
According to the details, the meeting between the leader of the house and the opposition leader in National Assembly was held today in Islamabad after the prime minister arrived from his visit from China, where he was attending Boao conference and also met UN Secretary General on its sidelines. The meeting continued for an hour.
This is the third meeting between the two leaders to discuss the interim setup to be installed after the PML-N led government expires on May 31.
The opposition leader reached PM House Wednesday morning to hold the third meeting with the premier over the matter.
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The prime minister shared the opinion of the government and its allies with the opposition leader on the name of the caretaker prime minister.
Sources said that the two leaders also expected held a discussion over the budget for this year, which will be announced next month.
Abbasi and Shah also reviewed matters pertaining to Pakistan’s political situation, sources said further.
It is pertinent to mention here that as per the constitution, the prime minister and the opposition leader in National Assembly had to decide on a name for the caretaker prime minister to be installed for at most three months in order to conduct the polls. The similar pattern is followed at the provincial level.
The current government is expected to conclude its five-year term on May 31, after which the caretaker government will take over to hold the general elections, which are expected to be held in the last week of July or first week of August.
As per the Constitution of Pakistan, the caretaker prime minister is appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the opposition leader in the National Assembly.
Both the premier and the opposition leader then present names of three nominees each from which the consensus candidate is appointed as the caretaker prime minister.
The prime responsibility of the caretaker government is to ensure that the elections are held in a transparent manner.
If the prime minister and the opposition leader fails to decide on the name of caretaker prime minister then the suggested names from both sides are sent to a parliamentary panel comprising of both opposition and treasury benches members and if it also fails then the names are sent to the Election Commission which would then decide on it.
Before last general elections, the opposition and treasury failed to reach consensus on the name for interim prime minister and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) appointed former jurist Mir Hazar Khan Khoso as the caretaker Prime Minister of the country on 24 March 2013, out of four nominees coming from both the sides.
The opposition leader sought time for discussing the names from the opposition side with the PPPP President Asif Ali Zardari, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto and the opposition parties.
The opposition leader had earlier refused offer from the former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to discuss the interim prime minister with PML-N and make amendments in interim setup clauses in the constitution to further make clarity on the laws.
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