Anwarul Haq Kakar was on Monday sworn in as the Caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan as the country heads to a general election in three months.
The appointment of a caretaker prime minister was necessitated as regular Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif dissolved the National Assembly last week and President Arif Alvi gave him and Opposition leader Raja Riaz time until Saturday to agree to a name of caretaker prime minister. They named Kakar as their choice.
Kakar will now steer Pakistan with a neutral political set-up until the next government takes over after the elections.
Kakar, 52, is a first-time Senator from the restive Balochistan province. He is an ethnic Pushtun. He is a member of the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), a party considered close to the powerful establishment of the country, reported PTI.
Kakar was administered oath of the office by Alvi in a ceremony at the the President House in Islamabad. He became the eighth caretaker prime minister of Pakistan.
Ahead of taking oath, Kakar resigned from the upper house of Parliament, reported PTI, adding that Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjarani on Monday accepted Kakar’s resignation from the Senate ahead of the swearing-in. A day earlier, he also resigned from the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), which he founded in 2018. The reason for the resignation was to be an impartial caretaker prime minister, reported Geo News.
Since it was his responsibility to hold free and fair general elections in cooperation with the Election Commission of Pakistan, he had decided to resign, said the report.
A notification issued by the Senate Secretariat on Monday notified Kakar’s resignation, reported PTI.
“Anwaarul Haq Kakar, a member Senate of Pakistan, has resigned his seat, as his principled stance of neutrality on becoming the caretaker prime minister, by writing under his hand in person before the Senate chairman...The honourable Senate chairman has been pleased to accept the resignation and consequently his seat has become vacant in terms of clause (1) of Article 64 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan with effect from August 14,” said the notification.
In a statement on Sunday, Sharif expressed confidence that Kakar would ensure fair elections and said the “trust reposed by all parties in Kakar’s name proves their proper choice as the upcoming caretaker Prime Minister is an educated person and a patriot”, reported PTI.
According to Sharif, Kakar was decided upon under a constitutional process as he was the “most suitable person” to head the interim set-up, reported PTI.
For over a year now, Pakistan has faced economic, political, and environmental hardships. The cash-strapped countries has sought a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and friendly countries. The political turmoil, largely centred around former Prime Minister Imran Khan, ousted last year in a trust vote, has also threatened sociopolitical fabric of the country. In unprecedented scenes in May, Khan's supporters from the Pakistan Tehri-i-Insaaf (PTI) ransacked the houses of key commanders of the all-powerful army and also entered the military headquarters. Widespread floods have also devastated the country in this period.
