ISLAMABAD: The bipartisan parliamentary committee formed to nominate a consensus candidate for the position of caretaker prime minister could not reach consensus on the name on Friday despite spending three days to deliberate on the issue, Dispatch News Desk (DND) reported.
Following the committee’s failure to evolve a consensus on a name for caretaker PM, the matter will now go to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), which will have to finalise one name out of four, two each from the prime minister and the opposition leader, within two days.
The sources said the ECP has called for a meeting to be held on Saturday in Islamabad, while the Chief Election Commissioner Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim will leave Karachi for Islamabad.
Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) Chief Chaudhary Shujaat Hussain, a member of the bipartisan parliamentary committee said that it was unfortunate that politicians had not been able to reach a decision on the selection of a caretaker premier.
On the other hand, Awami National Party (ANP) leader Ghulam Bilour, also a committee member, said that they will accept whatever decision is made by the ECP.
Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) leader and a member of the panel, Syed Khurshid Shah said after the meeting that Committee made honest efforts to resolve the issue.
Earlier, before the committee reassembled for its last session, Syed Khurshid Shah said a breakthrough had taken place in today’s meeting of the parliamentary committee.
However, another member of the committee from PPP, Farooq H Naek, said the panel members were adamant on their respective positions.
Today was the eight-member committee’s last day for deliberations to evolve a consensus on a name for caretaker PM.
Now Since it has failed to agree on a name today, the matter will now go to the Election Commission.
In its sessions over the last three days, the committee scrutinized the names of PML-N nominees Rasul Bakhsh Palijo, Justice (retd) Nasir Aslam Zahid and PPP nominees Justice (retd) Mir Hazar Khan Khoso and Dr Ishrat Hussain.
The members of the bipartisan committee included Sardar Mahtab Abbasi, Sardar Yaqoob Nasir, Pervez Rasheed, Saad Rafiq, Chaudhry Shujaat, Farooq Naek, Khurshid Shah and Ghulam Bilour.
DND
