PPP names ex-CJP Tassaduq, Jalil Abbas for caretaker PM

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has proposed the names of former diplomat Jalil Abbas Jilani and former chief justice of Pakistan Tassaduq Hussain Jilani to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for the caretaker prime minister.

Jalil Abbas Jilani is a former foreign secretary and ex-ambassador to the United States, while Justice (retd) Tassaduq Hussain Jilani served as the chief justice of Pakistan from December 11, 2013 to July 5, 2014.

Though the meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Raja Riaz was expected on Wednesday, it was postponed till Thursday (today) for consultations on the names.

Jalil Abbas Jilani served as the foreign secretary from March 2012 to December 2013 and ambassador to the US,

Jilani has 38 years of bilateral and multilateral experience as a public servant and career diplomat. He served as ambassador to the US, Belgium, Luxemburg, the EU, and Australia.

He was appointed foreign secretary in 2012. As foreign secretary, Jilani was closely involved in negotiations and finalization of CPEC and signing of key CPEC agreements during the visit of the-then Chinese premier Li Keqiang under the Pakistan Peoples Party government.

During his time as ambassador to the EU, he was instrumental in initiating and securing GSP Plus concessions for Pakistan, which allowed Pakistan’s exports to thrive in key European markets.

As ambassador to the United States, he leveraged his diplomatic contacts and credentials to ensure a positive trajectory in Pak-US relations during the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

In 2018, the Government of Pakistan nominated Jilani as a member of Experts and Eminent Persons Group (EEP) of the ASEAN Regional Forum.

He also served as member of the Prime Minister’s Advisory Council on Foreign Affairs from 2019-2022.