Pakistan People's Party leader rejects consensus claims on interim PM slot's name

Jul 24, 2023

Islamabad [Pakistan], July 24 : Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader Sherry Rehman has dismissed reports on Monday that a name for Pakistan caretaker prime minister had been finalised, calling them "fake news," Pakistan-based Dawn reported. 
While addressing a press conference alongside PPP Information Secretary and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Faisal Karim Kundi in Islamabad, Sherry Rehman said, "No name [for the caretaker PM] has been shared with us … and neither has PPP made any decision regarding this." 
Rehman said, "No such agreement has been reached, no name has been finalised at least from our side," according to Dawn. She stressed that some media reports suggested that a name had been finalised for the position of Pakistan caretaker PM and added that this was not the case, according to Dawn. 
Sherry Rehman said, "The PPP’s party position is the same as before — which is our democratic position entrenched in the Constitution — that is better that the caretaker government is non-partisan." Her statement comes after reports suggested that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leadership intends to make Ishaq Dar as Pakistan's interim Prime minister.
Reports have suggested that PPP has expressed strong reservations about the selection, saying a “man from the Sharif family” was not suitable to lead the ‘neutral’ setup. Others have said that it had “not ruled out” accepting Ishaq Dar for the position, according to Dawn report. 
Sherry Rehman said that the decision on the Pakistan caretaker Prime Minister's name was a consultative process and involved discussions among multiple parties and opposition leaders. She said that unbiasedness was one of the requirements of an election and said, "We are inclined towards it." 
She said that PPP had set up a three-member committee for consultation on the Pakistan caretaker setup. She said, "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," Dawn reported. She said that her party’s leadership had repeatedly called for holding elections on time.
Earlier, it was reported that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is mulling proposing the name of Pakistan Finance Minister Ishaq Dar for the post of caretaker Prime Minister, The Express Tribune reported, citing sources.
Ishaq Dar's name gained traction as Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led government was considering amending the Elections Act 2017 to empower the upcoming caretaker set-up to take decisions beyond its constitutional mandate with a view to ensure continuity of the recently announced economic plan and expedite the procedure aimed at receiving foreign investment in state-owned entities, The Express Tribune reported.
According to PML-N sources, the Pakistan government was mulling amending Section 230 of the Elections Act 2017, enabling the caretaker set-up to take economic decisions. They said the amendments to the elections might be rolled out in the National Assembly next week, according to The Express Tribune. The amendments will enable Pakistan's caretaker government to take the decisions required to revive the economy.