The ruling coalition parties in Pakistan, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F), have both rejected the proposal to appoint Ishaq Dar as the caretaker prime minister (PM), as reported by ARY News on Sunday.
Both Maulana Fazlur Rehman-led JUI-F and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari-led PPP denied any agreement on Ishaq Dar’s candidacy for the caretaker PM position. Sources close to PPP clarified that no such agreement had been reached, and the party intended to propose an impartial candidate for the role.
Faisal Karim Kundi, a leader of the PPP, stated that they had not engaged in any discussions concerning Dar’s appointment as the caretaker PM. He further emphasized that the PML-N had not shared Dar’s name with the PPP, and any future talks would only happen when names were formally presented.
The process for selecting the caretaker prime minister involves reaching a consensus between the current prime minister and the opposition leader, with three names to be shortlisted by the coalition parties. However, as of now, no names have been suggested or finalized.
Faisal Karim Kundi also dismissed reports of any significant meeting taking place in Dubai, asserting that no such meeting was being held or scheduled by the PPP.
PPP expressed its preference for a caretaker finance minister who could effectively handle the International Monetary Fund (IMF) deal. The party claimed to have multiple names under consideration for the caretaker PM role.
Finance Minister Ishaq Dar’s name came into discussion as a potential caretaker PM during a meeting between PML-N’s Nawaz Sharif and PPP’s Asif Ali Zardari. Dar is known to be a close ally of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, and it seems the PML-N is making efforts to convince the coalition parties to support his candidacy.
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In response to these developments, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal stated that Ishaq Dar, or any other candidate, could be considered as the caretaker prime minister if both the government and opposition reached an agreement.
As the discussions continue, the appointment of the caretaker prime minister remains uncertain. The ruling coalition parties stand firm in rejecting Ishaq Dar’s candidacy and are determined to propose an independent and suitable candidate for this crucial position.
