Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: PPP leader Sherry Rehman rejected reports on Monday that a name for the caretaker prime minister had been finalised, terming them “fake news”.
“No name [for the caretaker PM] has been shared with us … and neither has PPP made any decision regarding this,” she said in a press conference alongside PPP Information Secretary and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Faisal Karim Kundi in Islamabad.
“No such agreement has been reached, no name has been finalised at least from our side,” she asserted. “We haven’t even floated any names.”
But some media reports suggested yesterday that a name had been finalised, she said, adding that this was not the case. “The PPP’s party position is the same as before — which is our democratic position entrenched in the Constitution — that it’s better if the caretaker government is non-partisan.”
Rehman’s clarification follows reports of the PML-N leadership intending to see party stalwart and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar as the interim prime minister.
As for the PPP, while some reports said the party had expressed strong reservations on the selection, saying a “man from the Sharif family” was not suitable to lead the ‘neutral’ setup, others stated it had “not ruled out” accepting Dar for the position.
Speaking on the matter, Rehman explained that deciding on the caretaker PM’s name was a consultative process and involved discussions among multiple parties, as well as the opposition leader.
Reiterating that unbiasedness was one of the requirements of an election, she said, “We are inclined towards it”.
Rehman said her party had formed a three-member committee for consultation on the caretaker setup. “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.”
She also denied that her party had been consulted on appointing the caretaker PM from the current federal cabinet.
The PPP leader further said her party’s leadership had maintained that elections should be held on time, within the constitutional term, be it 60 days or 90 days. “We believe it will be better for the country and its stability,” she said.
What the PPP wanted, she said, was that the Election Commission of Pakistan’s rules and regulations were considered in elections and there was a level playing field. While Rehman did not name Dar in rejecting reports of a consensus on the caretaker PM’s selection, Kundi categorically stated that the finance minister had not been proposed to the PPP till now.
“But if it is shared with the PPP, there will definitely be a debate on it,” he said. “We, too, will propose some names and so will other parties. There will be discussion on them and the shortlisted names will be discussed with the leader of the opposition [in the National Assembly].”
Moreover, he said, the PPP had reservations about the 2023 census but “elections should not fall victim to census and get delayed”.
Following the PPP leaders’ press conference, PML-N leader and Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said in a statement that the appoint of the caretaker prime minister and its announcement would be made in accordance with the procedure detailed in the Constitution.
“The prime minister will take guidance on this from PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and consult allies in the ruling coalition. The prime minister and leader of the opposition will complete this process through consultation, in line with the consultation,” she said.
