Dubai: Senior figures from Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) continued marathon consultations in Dubai to finalize the caretaker set-up for the country. However, the parties could not reach a consensus on the name of the caretaker prime minister, JEE News reported.
Ongoing consultations may be extended to further rounds of negotiations.
During extensive consultations, various names were considered for caretaker prime minister, including a non-political figure from South Punjab.
However, the final decision could not be made.
A two-hour long meeting between former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and former President Asif Ali Zardari took place in a Dubai hotel on Monday night.
During the meeting, it was repeatedly emphasized that the caretaker prime minister should be a neutral and non-controversial figure to ensure that the election results are acceptable to all.
The need for a “competent and persuasive economist” to reform the economic system was emphasized in the coming months.
The two leaders agreed that the economic downturn could have a negative impact on the vote bank of political parties.
Sources with knowledge of the ongoing talks say that the decision regarding the caretaker prime minister will be taken after consultation with Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) President Maulana Fazlur Rehman.
While some sources have claimed that Fazal was also in Dubai, his party has strongly denied these claims.
Sources have indicated that economic emergency is also included in the talks. Nawaz insisted on immediate measures for “economic improvement” to bring some relief to the people, but Zardari is adamant about adopting these measures after the elections.
The issue of postponing the elections for six months was also raised. Still, both political leaders expressed support for holding elections to stabilize the political system and improve the economy.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is also in touch with Nawaz Sharif regarding the selection of caretaker prime minister. He also consulted Fazal, who is also the head of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), on some names for caretaker prime minister.
