Amid intense speculations over who is going to be posted as caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan next month, current PM Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday ruled out the appointment of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar as a candidate, while saying that his elder brother Nawaz Sharif will come to Pakistan soon.
Sharif's remarks came as many reports suggested that Dar would be appointed as the interim PM, amid oppositions from its coalition partner - the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) - and the Imran Khan-led opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
The PM agreed with his coalition partners on a non-partisan politican to lead the interim set-up, Dawn reported. "A neutral person should be appointed to this position so that no one could question the elections’ results," he said.
The caretaker regime would be agreed upon after thorough consultation with allied partners, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif and Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Raja Riaz, Shehbaz further said, while promising a "very efficient interim government".
'Nawaz Sharif to become next Pakistan PM'
Meanwhile, Shehbaz on Sunday said that Nawaz Sharif would become Pakistan's next PM if his party came into power, further announcing that the PML-N supremo would soon return to the country. According to Geo News, Shehbaz said that his self-exiled brother will face the law upon his return to the country.
The 73-year-old Nawaz Sharif, who has served as Pakistan's PM three times, has been in self-imposed exile in London since 2019. Nawaz Sharif was disqualified in 2017 by the Supreme Court and was declared ineligible to hold public office for life next year after a Supreme Court verdict in the Panama Papers case.
Before leaving for the UK on medical grounds, Nawaz was serving a seven-year jail term in the Al-Azizia Mills corruption case.
Shehbaz to resign next month
Shehbaz had announced that the National Assembly of Pakistan would be dissolved on August 12, a few days before his government completes its tenure, to allow the Election Commission to conduct the upcoming general elections. He will resign as PM and hand over the power to an interim setup.
Notably, under the Constitution, if the National Assembly completes its term, polls are to be held within 60 days. But if the assembly is dissolved prematurely, even if by a day, it would give the government 90 days to conduct elections.
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