PPP welcomes appointment of a politician as caretaker PM n PTI hopes Kakar will ensure free and fair elections within given constitutional timeframe n Fawad calls appointment good news for Pakistan after a long time.

 

ISLAMABAD/QUETTA/D I KHAN  -  The major opposition party, Pa­kistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Saturday expressed hope that caretaker Prime Minister-des­ignate Senator Anwaarul Haq Kakar would ensure conduct of free and fair elections within the given constitutional timeframe besides providing level playing field to all political parties.

In its response over the nom­ination of Kakar as interim prime minister, PTI spokesper­son Raoof Hasan said that great responsibility lay on the new PM to ensure free and fair elections without going beyond the con­stitutional limit of 90 days. “We expect that the caretaker prime minister would make sure that no one should usurp the consti­tutional and democratic rights of the masses,” he said.

PTI urged that it was the re­sponsibility of the caretaker set up to provide opportunity to all the political parties to run their election campaigns in a fa­vourable and free atmosphere. It said the PTI, one of the larg­est political parties of the coun­try, was facing the wrath of the state right now and hundreds of its workers had been put be­hind bars.

The party of former PM Im­ran Khan said that most of the fundamental rights of citizens as given in the constitution had been practically suspend­ed countrywide. It said these rights were only available to workers of specific political par­ties. “The caretaker PM should immediately take notice of these issues,” the spokesperson said, adding that Pakistan could not tolerate the burden of any new adventurism right now.

In addition to that, PTI showed its concerns by saying that out­going Prime Minister Shehbez Sharif did not consult the par­ty, which was one the largest parties within and outside the parliament, on the issue of ap­pointment of caretaker prime minister. It added that the nom­ination of Kakar was a result of consultations of the PM with the “so-called” Leader of the Oppo­sition in the National Assembly Raja Riaz Ahmad.

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Central Information Secretary Faisal Karim Kundi on Saturday welcomed the nomination of Senator Anwar ul Haq Kakar as Caretaker Prime Minister.

In a statement issued here, he said it was the prerogative of Prime Minister Shehbaz Shar­if and the opposition leader in National Assembly to jointly make appointment of the Care­taker Prime Minister as per the Constitution. He said PPP al­ways demanded that a politi­cian should be appointed as caretaker prime minister in­stead of retired bureaucrats or judges. “This time a politician has been made caretaker prime minister, which will help further strengthening the democratic process,” he opined.

The PPP had already given the authority to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to appoint the Caretaker Prime Minister, he said. He said the continuation of democracy was imperative for the stability and economic de­velopment of Pakistan.

Faisal Kundi hoped that the Election Commission of Paki­stan (ECP), under the supervi­sion of Caretaker Prime Minis­ter Anwar ul Haq Kakar, would conduct free, fair and transpar­ent elections in the country.

He said that his party sup­ports every constitutional and democratic process and would never compromise on it.

Former information minis­ter and ex-PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry said Kakar was an “honest, educated and modest” Pakistani. “After a long time, some good news has come for Pakistan. May God be your sup­porter and bless this decision for Pakistan,” he said on X, for­merly known as Twitter.

Contrary to his colleague Kun­di, PPP’s Khursheed Shah op­posed Kakar’s selection and said, “We were not aware that Anwaarul Haq’s name will be fi­nalised, and it would have been better if another person was se­lected for the post.”

However, he added, “Anwaarul Haq Kakar would be remem­bered if he succeeds in ensuring transparent elections. Shah, in a statement, said that the PPP had proposed five names for the in­terim PM, which did not include Kakar. He shared four names he said were recommended by the PPP — Salim Abbas Jilani, Jalil Abbas Jilani, Muhammad Ma­lik and Afzal Khan. “Whoever proposed his (Kakar) name, we should hope for good,” the PPP leader said. Shah’s statement gave the impression that the PPP had reservations over Ka­kar’s appointment, which par­ty leader Shazia Marri dispelled.

She said the PPP had entrust­ed Shehbaz Sharif with the au­thority to recommend the name for the interim premier, adding that her party’s sole focus now was the upcoming general elec­tions, and it wanted them to be held in line with the law and the Constitution.

PTI Senator Ali Zafar said Ka­kar is an “intelligent, articulate [and] reasonable man”.

“[He] believes in politics of cooperation not confrontation: has always well represented the interests of Balauchistan [sic]. Wish him the best,” he tweeted.

Chairman Senate Mohammad Sadiq Sanjrani has congratulat­ed Senator Anwaar-ul-Haq Ka­kar on his appointment as Care­taker Prime Minister.

In a statement, Chairman Sen­ate said that Anwaar-ul-Haq Ka­kar is an educated, competent and hard-working person. He said the appointment of Senator Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar from Ba­lochistan as the Prime Minister is a good decision.

The Chairman Senate fur­ther said that Anwar-ul-Haq Ka­kaar’s leadership skills cannot be denied, hoping said he will make good decisions as caretak­er Prime Minister.

He further said that Senator Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar always played a positive role in the Up­per House. The Chairman Sen­ate expressed hope that An­waar-ul-Haq Kakar will fulfill his responsibilities well

Speaker Balochistan Provin­cial Assembly Mir Jan Muham­mad Khan Jamali on Saturday termed the name of Senator An­war-ul-Haq Kakar as caretaker prime minister, a positive sign for the country and Balochistan.

In a statement, he said that Is­lamabad has recognized the im­portance and usefulness of Ba­lochistan Awami Party (BAP) saying that it was a good thing that the caretaker Prime Minis­ter of Pakistan was from BAP.

He said that the Balochistan Awami Party has always given priority to the betterment of the country and the nation.

“Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar is an excellent choice as caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan”, he said. The Speaker said that it was a positive step that the caretaker Prime Minister has taken from the smallest province.