Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Monday seemingly blamed the media over reports of the PML-N looking to appoint party stalwart Ishaq Dar as the caretaker prime minister, saying that no such discussion had taken place during party meetings.

“A responsible media person indicated towards the development after which the media began building up the news.

“As per my understanding, Dar sahib has not expressed any wish [to become the caretaker prime minister], and nor have we had any such talk in our [party] meetings. There has been no such initiative because we alone do not have to make this decision,” he said on Geo News show ’ Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’.

Asif’s remarks follow reports of the PML-N leadership intending to see Finance Minister Dar as the interim prime minister, in response to which the PPP — an important ally in the Centre — has already said that no consensus has been reached on the matter and that a neutral person would be suitable for the coveted post.

Along similar lines, Asif said political ethics demanded that a neutral person should be appointed for an office that required impartiality. “There is no space for this in our law or our political arrangements.”

The defence minister stressed the need for maintaining an environment where no doubt was raised about the credibility of general elections.

“We should not give an opportunity to people to point fingers [at us].”

Asif asserted that it would be “inappropriate” for a political persona who was so close to [the party] leadership to take up the caretaker prime minister’s office.

“Whoever’s suggestion this is, I think they did not do the right thing,” he said.

When asked whether the PML-N leadership agreed with his views, Asif said he had not spoken to any party member on this and that these were his personal views.

Separately, PML-N leader and Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said in a statement that the appoint of the caretaker prime minister and its announcement would be made in accordance with the procedure detailed in the Constitution.

“The prime minister will take guidance on this from PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and consult allies in the ruling coalition. The prime minister and leader of the opposition will complete this process through consultation, in line with the consultation,” she said.

‘Fake news’

Earlier today, PPP leader Sherry Rehman also rejected reports that a name for the caretaker PM had been finalised, terming them “fake news”.

“No name [for the caretaker PM] has been shared with us … and neither has PPP made any decision regarding this,” she said in a press conference alongside PPP Information Secretary and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Faisal Karim Kundi in Islamabad.

“No such agreement has been reached, no name has been finalised at least from our side,” she asserted. “We haven’t even floated any names.”

But some media reports suggested yesterday that a name had been finalised, she said, adding that this was not the case. “The PPP’s party position is the same as before — which is our democratic position entrenched in the Constitution — that it’s better if the caretaker government is non-partisan.”

Her remarks come against the backdrop of some reports stating the PPP had expressed strong reservations on the reported selection of Dar for the interim PM’s post, saying a “man from the Sharif family” was not suitable to lead the ‘neutral’ setup. Meanwhile, some reports also said the party had “not ruled out” accepting Dar for the position.

Rehman explained that deciding on the caretaker PM’s name was a consultative process and involved discussions among multiple parties, as well as the opposition leader.

Reiterating that unbiasedness was one of the requirements of an election, she said, “We are inclined towards it”.

Rehman said her party had formed a three-member committee for consultation on the caretaker setup. “They will inform the party leadership of the [proposed] names, but no decision has been taken regarding this yet … It should be clear now that we have not settled on a name.”

She also denied that her party had been consulted on appointing the caretaker PM from the current federal cabinet.

The PPP leader further said her party’s leadership had maintained that elections should be held on time, within the constitutional term, be it 60 days or 90 days. “We believe it will be better for the country and its stability,” she said.

What the PPP wanted, she said, was that the Election Commission of Pakistan’s rules and regulations were considered in elections and there was a level playing field.

While Rehman did not name Dar in rejecting reports of a consensus on the caretaker PM’s selection, Kundi categorically stated that the finance minister had not been proposed to the PPP till now.

“But if it is shared with the PPP, there will definitely be a debate on it,” he said. “We, too, will propose some names and so will other parties. There will be discussion on them and the shortlisted names will be discussed with the leader of the opposition [in the National Assembly].”

Moreover, he said, the PPP had reservations about the 2023 census but “elections should not fall victim to census and get delayed”.

Following the PPP leaders’ press conference, PML-N leader and Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said in a statement that the appointment of the caretaker prime minister and its announcement would be made in accordance with the procedure detailed in the Constitution.

“The prime minister will take guidance on this from PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and consult allies in the ruling coalition. The prime minister and leader of the opposition will complete this process through consultation, in line with the consultation,” she said.

Later, she said during on ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’ that the PPP had not raised any objection to Dar’s nomination as no names had been shared with her party yet.

Consultations on caretaker PM

A Dawn report earlier today said the PML-N began efforts on Sunday to take all stakeholders on board, including the military establishment, and assuage the concerns of the PPP leadership regarding the caretaker PM.

Both PPP and PML-N want to see a politician steer the caretaker government to avert any move to delay polls. The ruling party is likely to make an official announcement after convincing the allies, the report said.

It added that to hammer out details regarding the caretaker setup, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif was camped in Dubai, again, for a huddle with the PPP top leadership — Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari. However, Kundi told Dawn that no meeting was held between PPP and PML-N leaders on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the report said, background talks with members of the federal coalition confirmed that either Dar or some other politician would be the ‘ultimate contender’ for the coveted post as the coalition was not ready to concede to anyone else’s demand — a tacit allusion to the establishment.

“Like the appointment of the army chief last November, Nawaz Sharif has once again made it clear that the PML-N-led coalition will appoint the interim PM of its choosing, come what may,” a party leader in Punjab told Dawn.

“Sharif may manage to allay the concerns of Asif Zardari regarding Ishaq Dar’s name [for the interim PM] by taking a stance that a disagreement between political parties on the post would allow the establishment to take advantage of the situation — a scenario which might lead to an inordinate delay in elections,” the insider said.

Amendments to election laws

Meanwhile, the PML-N announced that an amendment was being introduced to empower the interim setup to have powers similar to that of an elected government. These powers would allow the caretakers to take important decisions.

In a Dawn News show, Ishaq Dar was questioned whether Section 230 of the Elections Act — which relates to the functions of a caretaker government — was about to be amended. “To the best of my understanding, yes,” he replied.

When asked whether the PPP was informed of the development, Rehman assured that any decision would be taken after consultation among the parties. “No unilateral measure will be taken.”

To another question, she seemed to be defending the decision, recalling that Pakistan secured a new $3 billion deal with the International Monetary Fund — deemed necessary to steer the country out of an economic crisis — in the nick of time last month.

“If you say not to introduce any amendments because the time demands so, it will be strange then. Then later you may ask why did you not create a condition for this, because a lot can happen in the next two to three months,” she said.

Additional reporting by Nadir Gurmani