No hectic movement for caretaker set-ups

ISLAMABAD: Even four weeks before the expiration of the term of the present federal government, there has been no movement forward during different rounds of talks between Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah on selecting the caretaker premier.

“No serious discussion has so far been held between the two constitutional consultees,” an informed source, who is privy to these deliberations, confided to The News. He said both sides are uniquely keeping their cards close to their chest, and it is the first time that none has mentioned its favourites publicly unlike the past.

The source believed that every party perhaps wants the other to throw up its nominations. In any case, they are required to finalise the name in the next couple of weeks otherwise the matter will land in other forums for decision.

A senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader said on condition of anonymity that his party thought that it would agree to some names from amongst the ones proposed by the opposition leader who, in its reckoning, would be relatively appropriate and suitable. However, he said the opposition leader has not so far come out with any recommendations enabling his party to pick up one of them.

The PML-N leader said that the prime minister has neither suggested any name nor would he do so, leaving it to the opposition leader to make nominations. He claimed that the PML-N would be subjected to further pressures during the interim period and efforts would particularly be accelerated to wean away some electables from it.

The PML-N leader said that his party did not wish to create any controversy on choosing the interim prime minister and was keen to resolve it amicably. “As far as we are concerned, we have no dispute with our allied parties including the National Party (NP), Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) in this connection. But on the other side, controversies are bound to crop up between the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) because of their ongoing difference of opinion.”

He said the PML-N wants a level-headed gentleman to be the caretaker prime minister so that a level-playing field for all political parties is ensured. “This is specifically important for us because we are being targeted, and this campaign will intensify during the interim interlude.”

The PML-N leader said it would be frivolous to search for a strong man to become the interim premier keeping in view the way the democratically elected, popular prime minister who has his entire party standing behind him and who has been enjoying majority in the National Assembly has been humbled.

If there is no noteworthy movement at the federal level, same is the scenario in the provinces where no side has given any names for the caretaker chief ministers. Every party is waiting for its rivals to propose the names.

Under the Constitution, if the consultees failed to reach consensuses on any names, the matter will be referred to the respective parliamentary committee having equal representations of the treasury and opposition benches. If they were also unable to arrive at agreements, the ball will go in the court of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) whose decision will be final.

Not only the prime minister but also the opposition leader wants that they should mutually decide the caretaker premier and it should not be referred to the ECP. Same is the approach of the chief ministers and opposition leaders in the provincial assemblies. However, no party is apparently in hurry to settle the issue.

At the federal level, the PML-N and PPP are the principal consultees. In Punjab, the PML-N and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will perform this duty. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), the PTI and JUI-F representatives are the consultees. In Sindh, the PPP and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) will choose the interim chief minister while in Balochistan the just created Balochistan Awami Party and PkMAP will pick up the chief provincial caretaker.

Amidst the prevailing charged political environment, it seems unlikely that in most cases the consultees will be able to work out agreements with the result that the ECP will take up the matter.