Negotiations going on to reach consensus on caretaker PM candidate: Pakistan Interior Minister Sanaullah

The Pakistan government will try to appoint a person acceptable to all sides as the caretaker prime minister and talks are underway to reach a consensus on it, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said on Friday. Sanaullah dismissed reports that Finance Minister Ishaq Dar is the front-runner for the post of caretaker prime minister, saying it can be a "rumour".

"Neither was Ishaq Dar's name suggested nor was it rejected. It can be a rumour," he told Geo News.

Sanaullah said talks are currently going on whether to choose a bureaucrat or a politician for the coveted post.

"In case there's a consensus that a politician can be appointed, then it can either be Ishaq Dar or any other politician from any party," he said.

He said the government would try to appoint a person acceptable to all sides. Dar himself has described as "premature" media reports that his name has been proposed for the post and said consultations have not yet begun.

The mainstream media in Pakistan had reported the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party is considering proposing Dar's name as the caretaker prime minister of the cash-strapped country once the term of the current National Assembly ends next month.

Dar's name came into focus as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif-led government mulled changes in 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 rolled out economic plan and expedite the process aimed at receiving foreign investment in state-owned entities, The Express Tribune newspaper reported on Sunday.

Under Pakistan's Constitution, polls are to be held within 60 days if the National Assembly completes its term. But if the assembly is dissolved prematurely, even if by a day, it would give the government 90 days to conduct elections. The caretaker prime minister will administer the country until a new government is formed after the general elections.

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has reportedly shown reluctance in backing Dar.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has also dismissed reports that Dar is being considered for the post, saying no one close to the top PML-N leadership — the Sharif family — would be picked as the interim prime minister to ensure that fingers are not pointed at the caretaker setup.

Sanaullah also spoke about the return to Pakistan of PML-N supremo and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who has been living in London since 2019.

"Nawaz Sharif will soon return. He will first secure interim bails and then secure acquittals. All the political restrictions imposed on him through conspiracies will end," he said.

Pakistan Parliament has passed a law that limits the disqualification of a parliamentarian to five years, benefiting Sharif, who was barred for a lifetime from running for office.

Sharif was disqualified in 2017 by the Supreme Court. In 2018, he became ineligible to hold public office for life after a Supreme Court verdict in the Panama Papers case.