On Thursday, Minister of State for the Ministry of Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety, Faisal Karim Kundi, stated that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) was not consulted by the ruling Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) regarding the Army Act amendment bill. This lack of consultation led PPP Senator Raza Rabbani to walk out of the parliamentary session in protest against the bill.
Kundi further mentioned that the PPP is not in favor of granting additional powers to the caretaker setup, as it believes the caretaker government’s sole responsibility should be to conduct elections. He confirmed that both PPP and PML-N have shared five names each for the caretaker prime minister position, and the appointment will be made after consultations with the coalition parties.
Amid rumors that Ishaq Dar, the current finance minister and a close ally of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, may become the caretaker prime minister, the ruling coalition parties, PPP, and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F), have rejected any suggestions from PML-N regarding Dar’s appointment.
In response to the speculation, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar himself said that he will accept any decision made by the leadership regarding the caretaker prime minister. He emphasized that the discussion on the caretaker premier is premature at this stage, and the coalition government and PDM (Pakistan Democratic Movement) will decide on the caretaker prime minister. Dar also highlighted the importance of increasing the caretaker government’s powers and suggested extending the caretaker period from 60 to 90 days for effective governance.