—— Both sides are of the view that a non-controversial should be picked as caretaker PM
—— Consultations may be further extended into more rounds of talks
From Abid Usman
LAHORE: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) are yet to find a common ground on the formation of the caretaker setup as their stalwarts continued holding detailed discussions in Dubai.
The tenure of the current National Assembly is set to end on Aug 12 and as per the constitution, an interim setup will be installed for a period of 65 days to hold general elections in the country. The period can extend to 90 days if the assembly is prematurely dissolved. Reports said PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari held a two-hour-long meeting earlier this week in Dubai to reach a consensus on the name of the caretaker prime minister, however there was no headway with marathon consultations to continue.
Both sides asserted that a non-controversial person should be picked for the slot of the interim prime minister in order to avoid any dispute over results of elections.
The PPP and PML-N bigwigs also discussed economic affairs of the country and both were of the view that financial crisis could make them face decline in their vote bank. At one point, the former three-time prime minister called for immediate measures to extend relief to the public facing severe inflation but, according to reports, Mr Zardari said such steps should be taken after the general elec-tions.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is also in contact with his elder brother regarding the caretaker setup, besides holding consultations with the PMD and other parties.
