Raja Riaz, the outgoing leader of the opposition in the National Assembly (NA), announced on Saturday that Senator from BAP party Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar had been nominated as interim prime minister of Pakistan.
Following the final round of negotiations between the opposition leader and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, he made the revelation in a press conference outside the Prime Minister’s House.
PM Shehbaz assured that the title of the head of the temporary set-up would be decided by Saturday while speaking to reporters in Islamabad yesterday.
Last night, he also hosted a dinner for the members of the departing government coalition, during which he held more discussions with the opposition leader.
One day after the NA was prematurely dissolved; the first meeting for discussion was conducted at the Prime Minister’s House on Friday. They’re scheduled to get together once again today for the last round of discussions.
According to reports, PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif was pressing former finance minister Ishaq Dar to be chosen as caretaker premier, and if Dar wasn’t selected, then former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.
However, reports stated that Riaz, a PTI dissident without the support of a political party, was taking orders from another power corridor and insisted on using the name of Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani.
Former finance ministers Dr. Hafeez Sheikh and Ishaq Dar, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, former principal secretary Fawad Hassan Fawad, former justice Tassaduq Jilani, Abdullah Hussain Haroon, Pir Pagaro, and Makhdoom Mehmood Ahmed were also running candidates for the position of caretaker premier.
