ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has formed a five-member committee of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) to consult on the election of caretaker prime minister and dissolution of the National Assembly.
Although the provincial assemblies of Sindh and Balochistan will be dissolved next month along with the National Assembly, the panel does not have any members from outside Punjab.
The committee consisting of Federal Ministers Ishaq Dar, Ahsan Iqbal, Khawaja Saad Rafiq, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and Khawaja Muhammad Asif has been entrusted with the task of consulting the political parties and groups forming the current government.
With the formation of the committee, the consultation process for the immediate setup of the administration in the country has gained momentum.
Muslim League (N) sources say that the committee will report to the leader of the Muslim League (N) Nawaz Sharif regarding the relevant developments and will seek guidance from the party president, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on sensitive issues.
The committee will start its work immediately. It is believed that this action was taken to relieve the Prime Minister of the pressure on the question of dissolving the assemblies and appointing a caretaker Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Shehbaz has advised other parties to form such committees for extensive consultation.
Sources indicated that a major party in the ruling coalition is insisting on bringing in a caretaker prime minister of its choice.
According to the constitutional provisions, the Prime Minister as the Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly had to initiate the consultation. Their failure may refer the matter to a parliamentary committee, constituted by the Speaker of the National Assembly.
Meanwhile, if the parliamentary committee also fails to elect a caretaker prime minister, the Election Commission of Pakistan will be the final authority to elect a caretaker prime minister.
Interestingly, the government has not taken political parties and groups outside parliament to consider any such issue. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice-Chairman Leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi on the other day insisted that his party should also be kept in the loop for upcoming elections and related arrangements, claiming to be a major stakeholder but the government ignored his request.
Interestingly, the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Raja Riaz Ahmed, had planned to meet the Prime Minister on August 1 for preliminary consultation for the election of the Caretaker Prime Minister.
He left Islamabad for Faisalabad on Friday and will return on Monday and he will also consult his colleagues in the lower house to form a committee for the purposes.
Sources say that Riaz is keen to talk to former Speaker National Assembly Dr Fahmida Mirza for consultation, but she was not available for this purpose.
