Who are in the race for interim PM?

As the process to appoint a caretaker prime minister kicks off with the dissolution of the lower house of parliament, several names have emerged for the coveted slot.

The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led government dissolved the lower house of parliament prematurely on August 9 (today), three days shy of its constitutional term ending on August 12, to allow the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold general elections within 90 days instead of 60 days stipulated time period if legislature completes its tenure.

Ever since Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced he would be dissolving the assembly on August 9, a guessing game was rife on mainstream and social media, with analysts and political pundits speculating the name of a potential candidate for the post of interim premier.

On Tuesday, PM Shehbaz said that no name for the caretaker prime minister had been finalised yet, and consultation on the matter with allies and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif was underway.

Under the Constitution, PM Shehbaz and Leader of Opposition in NA Raja Riaz are required to hold deliberations to pick the interim prime minister.

However, they have not held a consultation yet with sources telling the Geo News that Riaz postponed meeting with the premier on Wednesday owing to his “busy schedule”.

Names for caretaker PM emerge so far

Outgoing finance minister Ishaq Dar’s name was first reported in the media for the slot of caretaker prime minister.

Following the backlash, the ruling PML-N rejected the media reports saying that his name was never proposed for the coveted slot.

Lately, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah revealed that former finance minister Hafeez Shaikh, who served as the financial czar during the previous tenure of PTI-led government and before that during the PPP's tenure, is among the candidates for the caretaker PM.

The names of PML-N's Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and former Punjab governor Makhdoom Ahmed Mehmood were also reported by the sources to be in the race for caretaker prime minister.

The name of Jalil Abbas Jilani, former foreign secretary and Pakistani envoy to Washington, is also being speculated for the post of caretaker prime minister.