Who will jump on the caretaker PM band wagon?

Islamabad: The question of who will assume the role of caretaker Prime Minister has been a dominant topic in the country’s political discourse for several weeks. Intensive consultations between the government and its allies have now entered a critical phase.

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The ruling coalition parties have reportedly finalized a list of five potential candidates for the caretaker Prime Minister position, and interestingly, not all of them are politicians. Previously, leaders from both the ruling PML-N and its coalition partner, the PPP, had tacitly agreed to consider politicians rather than technocrats to lead the caretaker setup.

At present, the government coalition is engaging in discussions regarding the five potential candidates for the caretaker Prime Minister role. In response, both the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have initiated consultations with their respective allies to finalize their preferred choices.

Ayaz Sadiq, heading the government team, has approached Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) and Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) to propose leaving the decision on the three final candidates for caretaker Prime Minister to the party leadership. Shehbaz Sharif, Bilawal Bhutto, and Maulana Fazlur Rehman have been contacting other parties to seek their support in making this crucial decision.

Reliable sources have revealed that the five candidates under consideration come from the four provinces, with two names from Punjab, and one each from Sindh, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Both major parties seem to be inclined towards selecting neutral candidates from the business community or civil society.

One of the nominees for caretaker Prime Minister being considered is ex-Chief Justice of Pakistan, Jillani, who served from 2013 to 2014. Additionally, a couple of weeks ago, Ishaq Dar’s name emerged as a contender. His trustworthiness, acknowledged by both Nawaz and Shehbaz Sharif, makes him a strong contender to run the interim setup.

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Furthermore, journalist Mohsin Baig and former finance minister Hafeez Sheikh have also been tipped for the position due to their pro-establishment credentials.

However, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb asserted that “Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has neither selected nor ruled out any candidate for interim Prime Minister yet.” The information minister refrained from responding to the reports suggesting Justice Jillani’s consideration for the coveted post.