— President asks Imran, Shehbaz to propose names for caretaker PM
— Imran will continue to hold office until successor announced
ISLAMABAD: The prime minister proposed the name of former chief justice Gulzar Ahmed for the office of the caretaker leader of the nation, announced Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry Monday.
صدر مملکت کے خط کے جواب میں تحریک انصاف کور کمیٹی سے مشورے اور منظوری کے بعد وزیر اعظم عمران خان نے سابق چیف جسٹس پاکستان جسٹس گلزار احمد کا نام نگران وزیر اعظم کیلئے تجویز کیا ہے
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) April 4, 2022
The development came hours after the president wrote to Imran Khan and the former National Assembly Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif to propose names of candidates for appointment as the caretaker prime minister under Article 224-A (1) of the Constitution.
The letter observed that the National Assembly and the federal cabinet had been dissolved under Article 58(1) on Sunday. But added that Khan would continue to hold office until the caretaker prime minister’s appointment is made under Article 224-A(4).
Khan was de-notified late on Sunday as a result of the dissolution of the parliament, which he recommended to the president, according to an announcement by the Cabinet Division. He will, however, continue to serve as acting premier until a caretaker prime minister is appointed to hold fresh elections.
“Caretaker prime minister shall be appointed by the president in consultation with the prime minister and the leader of the opposition in the outgoing NA as per Article 224-A(1) of the Constitution of Pakistan,” the letter read.
In the letter, Dr Arif Alvi told the two that in case they do not agree on the appointment within three days of the dissolution of the National Assembly, they shall forward two nominees each to a committee to be constituted by the speaker, comprising eight members of the outgoing assembly, or the Senate, or both, having equal representation from the treasury and the opposition.
The members of that committee from the treasury and opposition benches are to be nominated by the prime minister and the leader of the opposition, respectively, in pursuance of Article 224-A(1).
“It is worth stating that the Constitution has empowered the president, under Article 224-A(1), to appoint a caretaker prime minister in consultation with the prime minister and the leader of the opposition in the outgoing NA,” a separate handout issued by the President’s Secretariat said.
Sharif, meanwhile, declared the whole process “illegal” and said he would not take part. He insisted the president and the prime minister had broken the law and questioned how they could approach the opposition.
PICKING A CARETAKER
According to the Constitution, the new elections will be held under a caretaker prime minister in the next 90 days after the dissolution of the Parliament, Karachi-based legal expert Ismat Mehdi told Anadolu Agency.
Khan and Sharif will jointly pick the caretaker premier, he said, explaining the government and opposition will propose three candidates each, with one to be picked for the post.
However, if the two sides cannot agree on a name, the matter will go to a parliamentary committee, which comprises of Treasury and opposition lawmakers, and remains functional despite the assembly’s dissolution.
If the parliamentary committee also cannot reach a consensus, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will do the job.
If all fail, then the Supreme Court will eventually appoint the caretaker prime minister.
Until the appointment of the caretaker premier, the incumbent prime minister will continue to serve.
Meanwhile, Supreme Court blocked the political parties and state institutions from taking any “unconstitutional step” following the ongoing political crisis in the country.
It adjourned the hearing until Monday to take up petitions filed by opposition leaders against the dissolution of the National Assembly.
IMRAN TO CONTINUE AS PM
Earlier in the day, hours after the Cabinet Division denotified Khan as prime minister, a notification issued by the president announced he will continue to serve in office until the appointment of a caretaker leader under Article 224-A(4) of the Constitution.
“Mr. Imran Ahmad Khan Niazi, shall continue as Prime Minister till the appointment of caretaker Prime Minister under Article 224 A (4) of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” a tweet issued by the presidency read.
Mr. Imran Ahmad Khan Niazi, shall continue as Prime Minister till the appointment of caretaker Prime Minister under Article 224 A (4) of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
— The President of Pakistan (@PresOfPakistan) April 3, 2022
Article 224(A) deals with the procedure of the appointment of the caretaker prime minister in case the leader of the house and leader of the opposition in the National Assembly do not agree on the name of a caretaker prime minister.
The article reads: “The incumbent Prime Minister and the incumbent Chief Minister shall continue to hold office till the appointment of the caretaker Prime Minister and the caretaker Chief Minister, as the case may be.”
The Cabinet Division notification issued earlier read Khan had “ceased to hold the office of the prime minister of Pakistan with immediate effect”. However, President Dr Arif Alvi “may ask the Prime Minister to continue to hold office until his successor enters upon the office of Prime Minister” under Article 94 of the Constitution.
کچھ میڈیا کے حلقے یہ کہہ رہے ہیں کہ عمران خان وزیراعظم نہیں رہے- زرا درستگی کر لیں-
Article 224A(4)
The incumbent Prime Minister shall continue to hold office till appointment of the care-taker Prime Minister pic.twitter.com/mdp7QtLEWx
— Faisal Javed Khan (@FaisalJavedKhan) April 3, 2022
IMRAN CALLS SNAP ELECTIONS
The move comes a day after the prime minister called for the president to dissolve parliament and hold a fresh election, minutes after the National Assembly deputy speaker declined to hear the no-confidence motion into his rule.
In a brief address on television, Khan said there had been unacceptable interference in the nation’s democratic institutions, and an interim government should be formed to hold fresh elections.
“I have sent advice to the president to dissolve the assemblies […] We will go to the public and hold elections and let the nation decide,” he said.
“When the advice reaches the president, assemblies will be dissolved which will be followed by the process of setting up a caretaker government,” he added.
No prime minister of Pakistan has ever completed a full term, and Khan has been facing the biggest challenge to his rule since being elected in 2018, with opponents accusing him of economic mismanagement and bungling foreign policy.
On Sunday, parliament was due to debate a no-confidence motion on Khan, but the deputy speaker refused to accept it, causing uproar in the chamber.
“I rule out this no-confidence motion in accordance with the constitution,” said deputy speaker Qasim Suri as the session started.
Khan has accused the opposition of conspiring with “foreign powers” to remove him because he won’t take the West’s side on global issues against Russia and China.
Earlier this week, he accused the United States of meddling in Pakistan’s affairs. The media had reported that Khan had received a briefing letter from Islamabad’s ambassador to Washington recording a senior US official saying they felt relations would be better if Khan left office.
In Washington last week, State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters there was “no truth” to the allegations of regime change.
— With input from Anadolu Agency
