ISLAMABAD: While PPP chief Asif Zardari and former PM Nawaz Sharif sat in Dubai to give final shape to the caretaker set up, sources in both the parties say that Finance Minister Ishaq Dar may be a consensus candidate for the slot of caretaker prime minister while the military establishment may also agree to his nomination due to ongoing economic challenges.
Well informed sources say that the government is mulling amending the Elections Act 2017 to empower the upcoming caretaker set-up to take decisions beyond its constitutional mandate with a view to ensure continuity of the recently rolled out economic plan and expedite the process aimed at receiving foreign investment in state-owned entities.
Sources in the federal cabinet say that the PML-N was considering proposing the name of Ishaq Dar for the caretaker prime minister as part of a broader plan to ensure implementation of the economic policies and continuity of these policies.
Sources said that the government was considering amending Section 230 of the Elections Act 2017, empowering the caretaker set-up to take economic decisions. They said that the amendments to the elections act might be introduced in the National Assembly next week. The amendments would allow the caretaker government to take decisions necessary to revive economy.
According to Section 230, a caretaker (interim) government shall only perform its functions to attend to day-to-day matters which are necessary to run the affairs of the government. It will assist the Election Commission of Pakistan in holding the general elections in accordance with law and restrict itself to activities that are of routine, non-controversial and urgent nature, in the public interest and can be reversed by a future elected government.
The present law also bars the caretaker government from taking major policy decisions, except on urgent matters. It cannot enter into a major contract or undertaking if it is detrimental to public interest; and it also cannot enter into major international negotiation with any foreign country or international agency; or sign or ratify any international binding instrument, except in an exceptional case.
The sources said that the proposal was to amend both the sub sections of Section 230 that deal with the authority bestowed upon the interim set-up.
Recently, the civil and military leadership have unveiled a host of measures to put the economy back on track and replace foreign loans with foreign investment and receipts through the sale of state assets.
In June, the government set up a hybrid civil-military-led Special Investment Facilitation Council. The second meeting of the apex committee of the council was held on Friday that approved candidate projects for offering to Saudi Arabia for investment in the agriculture sector.
