ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has expressed reservations over both nominees proposed by the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N), raising the likelihood that a parliamentary committee would select an interim prime minister to oversee general election in Pakistan.
According to the Constitution, the leader of the opposition and the prime minister have to agree on one candidate for the key position of caretaker prime minister within three days of the dissolution of the National Assembly, otherwise the proposed names would be forwarded a parliamentary committee for selection.
Speaking to reporters outside the Prime Minister House on Saturday, Federal Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said there was no ‘deadlock’ regarding caretaker premiership and assured that the matter would be resolved according to constitutional provisions.
The main opposition party, the PML-N, had earlier put forward the names of Justice (retd) Nasir Aslam Zahid, Justice (retd) Shakirullah Jan and Awami Tehrik founder Rasul Bakhsh Palijo.
However, in a telephonic conversation with the prime minister on Friday, opposition leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan withdrew the name of Justice Shakirullah Jan and asked the government to consider the remaining two names as final from the opposition.
Rejecting both the opposition’s nominees, Kaira said the PPP did not enjoy good relations with Justice (retd) Nasir Aslam Zahid. As for Rasul Baksh Palijo, Kaira said Palijo’s son was leading an anti-PPP alliance in Sindh.
A senior PPP leader, requesting not to be named, had earlier told Dawn that the party had serious reservations over both names suggested by the PML-N.
He said President Zardari had been falsely implicated in a murder case of his brother-in-law Murtaza Bhutto in 1996 and it was Justice (retd) Nasir Aslam Zahid on whose order he had been sent to jail.
About Rasul Bakhsh Palijo, he said he was not acceptable because of some of his anti-Pakistan statements.
However, the opposition leader had already rejected the government’s suggestions for caretaker premier, warning that the consultation process “can only move forward if the government withdraws all its nominees”.
The government had picked Dr Ishrat Hussain , Justice (retd) Mir Hazar Khan Khoso and Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh as its nominees for caretaker prime minister.
Kaira confirmed Saturday that Dr Hafeez Sheikh was still in the race as contender for interim prime minister.
Answering a question, the information minister said that there was still the possibility of both sides proposing other candidates for the key position.
