After Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif dissolved the country’s Parliament on Wednesday, the outgoing prime minister and opposition leader Raja Riaz agreed to name Senator Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar as caretaker premier.
Kakar, a first-time Senator, will be sworn in Monday as the interim premier of the country and will oversee a general election after the dissolution of the lower house of parliament.
Under Pakistani law, a neutral caretaker government oversees the election, which is meant to be held within 90 days, by November. However, there is uncertainty over the date as the nation grapples with constitutional, political and economic crises.
Who is Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar?
Kakar, 52, is an ethnic Pushtun from Balochistan and a member of the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) — a party considered close to the powerful establishment of the country. Balochistan is a region bordering Afghanistan and has witnessed internal turmoil at times in Pakistan’s history.
According to the channel Geo News, Kakar studied in the city of Quetta and later went to London for his higher education, returning to Pakistan in 2005.
Kakar was elected to the Senate in 2018 and has been a very active politician. He also served as the spokesperson of the Balochistan provincial government before his election to the upper house.
Born in 1971 in the Muslim Bagh area of Qila Saifullah district of Balochistan, he holds a Master’s degree in Political Science, Sociology and is an alumnus of the University of Balochistan.
Why Was Kakar Chosen as Interim PM?
Anwarul Haq Kakar was a “surprise" candidate for many in the ruling coalition and even those who signed the summary of his nomination were unaware of his candidature.
Kakar’s name was agreed upon during the final day of consultations between outgoing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the Leader of the Opposition in the dissolved National Assembly, Raja Riaz Ahmad on Saturday.
“Kakar’s name came from somewhere else and it had to be accepted by all stakeholders," a member of the outgoing ruling coalition was quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper. The politician was apparently referring to the powerful military establishment.
Kakar was a “surprise" for many in the alliance, in fact, “even those who signed the summary of Kakar’s nomination too were unaware about Kakar"s name," the politician said while responding to a question.
Both sides had already expressed their “desire that the caretaker prime minister should be from a smaller province," Leader of Opposition Riaz said. President Arif Alvi would administer the oath to him during a ceremony at Aiwan-e-Sadr, the Presidential Palace, in Islamabad, Radio Pakistan reported.
Why Did the Pakistan Parliament Dissolved?
Though Pakistan has chosen a caretaker government under Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, but there is no confirmation on the dates of the next election.
Though the election is meant to be held within 90 days, by November, there is uncertainty over the date amid the ongoing crises. Kakar and his cabinet will run the government until a national election is held and the winner can secure a parliamentary majority and select a new prime minister.
Will the election happen on time?
The outgoing Shehbaz Sharif government approved a new census in its final days and therefore new electoral boundaries must be drawn up by the Election Commission.
The exercise of drawing fresh boundaries for hundreds of federal and provincial constituencies in a country of 241 million people may take six months or more, according to a former commission official.
The Election Commission has to announce how long it will take to complete the exercise, which may also involve litigation by candidates over the new formations of the constituencies, and, based on that, give an election date.
Will Imran Khan Contest the Election?
Former prime minister and PTI chief Imran Khan, who is also the main opposition leader, cannot fight the upcoming election as he is in jail.
Khan is currently jailed for three years after being convicted on graft charges and is barred from contesting any elections for five years.
His party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), won the last general election in 2018, and he became prime minister until his ouster in a no-confidence vote in 2022. However, Khan’s party will contest the election.
Who are the Contenders?
There are three main contenders to lead the next government: Khan’s PTI, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) of Shehbaz Sharif and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
Three-time PM Nawaz Sharif, brother of the outgoing prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and whose PML-N was the senior partner in the outgoing coalition government, is seeking a return from exile. But with a corruption conviction against him still in force, Shehbaz remains a front runner to return to power.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, 34, the young chairman of the PPP and son of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, is another key candidate.
(With inputs from agencies)
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