Former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Balochistan independent lawmaker Aslam Bhootani, among others, are being considered for the post of caretaker Prime Minister, according to reports on Friday.
According to reports, ex-finance minister Hafeez Sheikh and ex-principal secretary to Nawaz Sharif Fawad Hassan Fawad will also be discussed at a meeting of allied parties today.
According to sources, coalition partners are presently holding a Zoom conference to discuss the caretaker setup as the government nears the end of its term. The huddle is being attended by JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto, and other top politicians.
The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) leaders have been holding back-to-back sessions, but no resolution has been reached thus far.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif hinted to allies at a dinner reception on Thursday that the National Assembly will be dissolved prematurely on August 9 – three days before its term ends.
If an assembly is dissolved after serving its term, elections to the legislature are held within 60 days, but if it is disbanded prematurely, elections are held within 90 days.
Speaking at the dinner last night, the premier stated that after forming the coalition government on April 11, last year, he faced unprecedented challenges such as economic difficulties, time-consuming talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), disastrous floods, hyperinflation, and political chaos.
“With their baseless accusations, riots, and long marches,” he remembered, “Imran Niazi and his gang created political chaos.”
“No country could make progress without political stability,” he added, adding that the country’s politics were tainted by a culture of unfounded accusations and abuse.
Shehbaz stated that the uphill battle of the IMF had given him sleepless nights because failure to reach an agreement with the IMF would have burdened the economy, placed pressure on foreign exchange reserves, devalued the rupee, and caused unemployment.
He stated that he held crucial discussions with the IMF’s Managing Director in Paris, which resulted in the effective conclusion of the accord.
He expressed gratitude to the coalition partners and his party leadership, including Nawaz, Asif Zardari, Fazl, and others, for their advice and assistance, as well as for their faith in him in the National Assembly.
He also praised the speaker of the National Assembly and the chairman of the Senate for smoothly running Parliamentary procedures.
