Caretaker PM: Abbasi, Khursheed kick off consultation process

ISLAMABAD: As the PML-N government is closing in on its constitutional tenure, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Leader of the Opposition Syed Khursheed Shah initiated the consultation process to hunt down caretaker prime minister.

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Khursheed Shah held a meeting at the chamber of National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on Monday evening to kick off the consultation process. NA Speaker was also present in the meeting in which initial consultation took place and it was decided that another meeting between the prime minister and opposition leader would be held soon following their consultation with their respective allies and come up with the names of the caretaker PM.

“The meeting was part of the consultation process for the appointment of caretaker prime minister who would be tasked to hold free, fair and transparent elections,” said Opposition Leader Syed Khursheed Shah while talking to newsmen after the meeting here at the Parliament House on Monday.

Khursheed Shah said he received a message from NA Speaker that the prime Minister wanted to meet him. “I sought time for the consultation with the other opposition parties as well as my own party prior to proposing the names for the caretaker PM and the prime minister also has to consult his party as well as allied parties in this regard,” he said.

The opposition leader said it was initial meeting and prime minister did not give any name. Asked whether any possibility of new constitutional amendment or legislation expected from Parliament, the opposition leader replied that legislation for any individual was not possible at the juncture. “The legislation is only for the country, people and institution not for the individuals,” he said.

He said the countries move forward only when the people decide their own fate. To another question regarding the revival and renewal of the Charter of Democracy signed between PPP and PML-N, he said the general elections were only three months away and it was not time for the consensus legislation either it be on the specific issue of judges or anything else.

To another question about Islamabad High Court verdict on the bail of Captain (R) Muhammad Safdar, the opposition leader said he would not go to ask why his bail was confirmed as it was his constitutional right but the law should be same for everyone. “It should not be happened that the separate law for here and another for Sindh as there was no reference against Sharjeel Memon and even no case was against him but he had been in jail for the last four months,” he said adding that Capt (R) Safdar was free while there was a reference against him in the accountability court while Sharjeel Memon was in jail despite that there was no reference against him.

He said it should also be seen whether the application filed against anyone was correct or not as for example the NAB received two or three applications against Ijaz Jhakrani that his living standard did not match his source of income. Instead of verification of the applications, an inquiry was initiated against him.