ISLAMABAD: According to Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, the announcement of the caretaker prime minister’s name is anticipated this week. Among the shortlisted names, Abdul Hafeez Sheikh’s name is also included. However, the government has not officially disclosed the date of the assembly’s dissolution yet.
The current assembly’s term is scheduled to end on August 12 at 12 pm, and Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has expressed his intention to hand over responsibilities to the caretaker government before that date. Khurshid Shah, a senior leader of the ruling coalition People’s Party, had stated last week that the assembly would be dissolved on August 9, but there has been no official confirmation from the government.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has been engaging in consultations with allied parties to finalize a name for the caretaker prime minister, but no official announcement has been made yet.
During a recent TV program, Interior Minister Rana Sana revealed that one of the shortlisted names for the caretaker prime minister is former Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Sheikh. When asked if Sheikh would be willing to accept the position if offered, Rana Sanaullah confirmed his readiness.
Abdul Hafeez Sheikh has previously served as Pakistan’s finance minister three times. In his last term, he held this position from April 2019 to December 2020 in the cabinet of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. He has also served as finance minister in the government of former army soldier Pervez Musharraf and the People’s Party government.
If the current assembly is dissolved before August 12, the Election Commission will have to conduct elections within 90 days. However, concerns are being raised about possible delays in the electoral process due to the recent approval of the Digital Census 2023 results by the Federal Cabinet on August 5. This process will take approximately four months to complete as new constituencies will be established.
(Islamabad51-Newsdesk)
