Activities for caretaker set-ups get feverish

QUETTA: The provincial governments of Punjab, Sindh, and Balochistan and the opposition have accelerated their contacts for installing caretaker setups as the time is running short in this regard.

The government and opposition did not reach consensus over name of an interim chief minister for Balochistan, even at the third meeting held Sunday. The meeting to finalise a caretaker chief minister was held between Balochistan Chief Minister Abdul Qudus Bizenjo and Leader of the Opposition in Balochistan Assembly Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal.

During the first meeting, government and opposition proposed eight names each. Out of the 16 names, five were shortlisted. The government recommended Alauddin Marri, Minister for Environment Prince Ahmed Ali and former senator Kamran Murtaza for the interim chief minister while the opposition suggested former ambassador Qazi Ashraf and former speaker Aslam Bhotani.

Although the government and opposition in Balochistan have yet to agree on a name for the caretaker chief minister, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa picked one a day earlier. The names for caretaker chief minister for Sindh and Punjab have also not been decided yet.

However, interim chief minister for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was finalised a day earlier. The KP government and opposition reached consensus on a businessman from Fata, Manzoor Afridi, who lives in Peshawar, to head the caretaker setup in the province.