- We’ve yet to reach a consensus, Raja Riaz tells reporters
- As per constitution, both leaders have three days to decide on a caretaker leader
ISLAMABAD: Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Raja Riaz met with Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday as part of the consultation process for the selection of the caretaker prime minister.
As per the Constitution, the prime minister had invited the opposition leader to a meeting to develop a consensus on the appointment of the caretaker prime minister.
However, after a detailed deliberation, the two leaders decided to meet again on Friday to reach a consensus on selecting a name for the caretaker prime minister.
وزیرِ اعظم شہباز شریف سے قائد حزب اختلاف راجہ ریاض کی وزیرِ اعظم ہاؤس، اسلام آباد میں ملاقات۔
وزیرِ اعظم نے آئین کی روشنی میں قائد حزب اختلاف کو نگران وزیرِ اعظم کی تقرری کیلئے مشاورت کے حوالے سے ملاقات کی دعوت دی تھی۔ pic.twitter.com/oa7tQgKdSz
— Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) August 10, 2023
The meeting to consult the name of the caretaker prime minister was held in a cordial environment, said a press release issued by the Prime Minister Office.
“We’ve yet to reach a consensus,” Riaz told reporters after leaving the Prime Minister House in Islamabad.
Under the constitution, the two have three days to reach agreement on a caretaker leader. If they can’t, the decision will go to a parliamentary committee, and if it can’t agree, then the Election Commission of Pakistan will decide.
The lower house of parliament was dissolved on Wednesday, three days before the end of its five-year term on Aug. 12.
A general election in the country should be held in 90 days but it could be delayed for several months because the election commission has to redraw the boundaries of hundreds of constituencies based on new census data.
Speculations about different contenders for the post of caretaker prime minister have been doing rounds for weeks now but there is no official word yet.
It all started when the government showed its intention a few weeks ago to dissolve the assembly earlier than its scheduled time so that it could get an additional month for the election campaign.
The situation was intensified when Finance Minister Ishaq Dar’s name for the post of caretaker premier started making rounds. Though several other names surfaced later, PM Shehbaz hasn’t ruled out Dar’s name yet.
Following his meeting with the opposition leader, it is expected that a unanimously agreed upon name would be revealed.
