ISLAMABAD: As sources claim that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) have agreed to make Finance Minister Ishaq Dar caretaker prime minister, Dar said the Election Act 2017 would be amended to enable the caretaker ruler to take important decisions.
During an interview to a local television channel, Dar, when asked if Section 230 of the Election Act would be amended, replied in the affirmative and said the country cannot be left to the government for day-to-day decisions.
He further said that there is no need to hide this issue from the people as they will find out anyway.
Furthermore, he said: “…but I think that whoever takes this responsibility, it would not be fair for the nation to spend three months on day-to-day decisions.”
“Our past experience has not been very good.”
According to the sources, after the consensus, the government is taking other political parties into confidence.
Sources further told JEE News that the Finance Minister is also acceptable to the establishment as the interim Prime Minister. However, during the television programme, Dar said it was too “premature” to say that he would be selected.
“Yes, I saw those reports today… Being a fundamentalist Muslim, I believe that you should not aspire, pursue or lobby for any position yourself…”
It is premature to say that he has been selected for the role, he added, adding that a proper constitutional process has to be initiated.
When asked if there was consensus on his name, Dar said his record shows that he has always done his job to the best of his ability.
Bill
Meanwhile, informed parliamentary sources told JEE News that both houses of Parliament will separately pass the Electoral Reforms Bill, which will make major changes to the Elections Act, 2017, this week.
The proposed reforms will enhance the caretaker government’s powers to take matters of national importance far beyond day-to-day affairs.
The amendments in the Act will further empower the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to conduct free, fair and transparent elections.
Sources say that the federal cabinet will approve a comprehensive bill in its meeting early this week and the law and justice minister Senator Muhammad Azam Nazir Tarar will present it in the National Assembly.
He added that the amendments to the Act would be passed by the Senate by the end of the week.
Sources pointed out that the law would enable the caretaker government to act like an elected government to deal with international affairs and act autonomously for it.
The caretakers will deal with provincial issues in the way an elected government can deal with, including financial matters.
The committee formed by the Speaker of the National Assembly Raja Pervez Ashraf under the chairmanship of former Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has compiled its recommendations which have been given to the government for further action.
Sadiq held a marathon closed-door meeting of the committee and approved the reform bill.
Sources say that the rules and regulations regarding the examination of candidates will be strictly enforced in the upcoming elections so that no undesirable person can reach the Parliament or the Provincial Assembly.
The bill will also incorporate the recommendations of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja, who had earlier asked the commission to be empowered to take certain measures.
He reminded the government that the conduct of the elections is subject to the necessary arrangements being made by the Commission to ensure that “the standards of honesty, fairness and justice provided for in Article 218(2) are met”.
The CEC noted that the electoral body has consistently endeavored to uphold the rule of law, fair play, and merit in its entirety.
However, he recalled that the commission’s writ has been systematically challenged several times.
The letter said that ‘in practice the authority of the ECP has been terminated.
In his letters, the Chief Election Commissioner wrote about important disciplinary interventions by the ECP in the past, which were stopped and set aside, giving a message to errant officials to hide behind legal orders despite committing “gross irregularities in the discharge of their official duties”.
He recalled that at that time there was serious compromise on the writ of ECP.
Sources say that Parliament has addressed the Commission’s recommendations through legislation in the past few weeks.
