Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is expected to hold another meeting with Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah today over the caretaker setup, which will take over once the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government completes its tenure.
Khursheed Shah had shared that the name of the caretaker prime minister will be announced once a consensual decision is reached.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had said that the date for General Elections 2018 will be announced after mutual consultation, an hour after its website mentioned July 31 as the date for the conduct of polls.
“The date and schedule of elections is not something to be hidden,” Altaf Hussain, a spokesman for the ECP told media. He said that an “empty link was put on the ECP website.”
Hussain said that a date for elections would be announced after mutual consultation. He added that the ECP would welcome all observers, including foreigners.
In April, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Opposition Leader Khursheed Shah had held a discussion pertaining to the caretaker government.
The prime minister shared the opinion of the government and its allies with the opposition leader on the name of the caretaker prime minister.
Following the meeting with the premier, Shah met with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi at the chambers of the Parliament House.
The current government is expected to conclude its five-year term on May 31, after which the caretaker government will take over to hold general elections, which are expected to be held in July or first week of August.
As per the Constitution of Pakistan, the caretaker prime minister is appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the opposition leader in the National Assembly.
Both the premier and the opposition leader then present names of three nominees each from which the consensus candidate is appointed as the caretaker prime minister.
The prime responsibility of the caretaker government is to ensure that the elections are held in a transparent manner.
