Allowing Dar to perform PM’s functions to be violation of Constitution: ex-CJ

ISLAMABAD: Former Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry Saturday called for appointment of an acting prime minister in the absence of Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif who would be undergoing an open heart surgery in London on Tuesday.

“The prime minister can’t transfer his powers to a senior member of his cabinet”, he said while speaking at a press conference here. Chaudhry said any notification allowing Finance Minister Ishaq Dar to perform the duties of the premier would be a violation of the Constitution.

He said a senior judge was appointed as acting chief justice when chief justice was on a foreign trip and the Senate chairman was appointed as the acting president when president leaves the country for a foreign trip. He also prayed for an early recovery of the ailing prime minister.