ISLAMABAD: An eight-member parliamentary committee would meet on Wednesday (today) in a bid to nominate a consensus candidate for the position of caretaker prime minister, Dispatch News Desk (DND) reported.
Speaker National Assembly Dr. Fehmida Mirza on Tuesday constituted an eight-member parliamentary committee after the PPP-led government and PML-N failed to agree on a name for caretaker prime minister.
“The speaker has constituted the committee in pursuance of clause (1) of Article 224A of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” said a notification issued by the assembly secretariat.
The treasury benches will be represented in the committee by PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, PPP leaders Syed Khursheed Ahmad Shah and Farooq H. Naek and Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour of the ANP.
Senator Pervez Rasheed, Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan, Khawaja Saad Rafiq and Sardar Mohammad Yaqoob Khan Nasar will represent the PML-N.
According to NA secretary Karamat Hussain, the parliamentary committee would meet in the constitution room of the parliament house at 2.30pm today (Wednesday).
Opposition in the now dissolved National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has restricted nominees to the PML-N and ignored the JUI-F and MQM. The JUI-F was excluded presumably because of a fear that it may vote for the other side and the MQM because Chaudhry Nisar does not consider it an opposition party.
Now the PPP and PML-N will put forward two names each and one name may be chosen by the committee through voting within three days.
Under the constitution, if the parliamentary committee fails to nominate a consensus candidate within three days, the matter will automatically go to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), which will have to finalise one name within two days.
The PPP has proposed the names of Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, Dr Ishrat Husain, and Justice (retd) Mir Hazar Khan Khoso for the position of caretaker PM. On the other hand, the PML-N has proposed the names of Justice (retd) Nasir Aslam Zahid and Rasul Bakhsh Palijo.
Under the constitution, both sides can change their nominees before the start of the committee’s formal proceedings.
DND
