Kakar, the New Caretaker PM of Pakistan
Appointment
3 min read
After Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif dissolved the country’s Parliament on Wednesday, 9th August Senator Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar was appointed as caretaker Prime Minister.
Kakar has been part of Pakistan's Senate since 2018 and local media has reported that he is a part of the Balochistan Awami Party, which is widely considered close to the military.
Under Pakistan’s constitution, a neutral caretaker government oversees the national elections, which must be held within 90 days of the dissolution of the parliament’s lower house. This means elections are ideally to be held around early November.
Outgoing premier Shehbaz Sharif and opposition leader Raja Riaz Ahmad have named Senator Anwar ul-Haq Kakar of the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), a coalition ally that withdrew support for Imran Khan in late March.
Reason for dissolution of Pakistan Parliament:
- Political and economic turmoil: On August 5, Imran Khan was arrested and convicted of corruption charges in the Toshkhana case and sentenced to three years in prison.
- Delimitation of constituencies: A digital census of 2023 was approved in haste recently by a constitutional body called the “Council of Interests”, consisting of the Pakistan PM, four Chief ministers of Pakistan’s provinces, and three members nominated by the PM.
- The law mandates that there should be delimitation or drawing up of constituencies based on the changes in population before the next elections, and that process would officially take 120 days, leading to possible delays in the election.
- Legislative changes: Since July 1 a series of legislative changes have been introduced that will now let the caretaker government take far-reaching decisions.
- It is being speculated that through an Army-backed caretaker PM, the Pakistan Army will bring about some changes in the country’s political and economic setup.
