‘Army-backed’ Senator Kakar appointed Pakistan’s acting PM – Times of India

ISLAMABAD: Anwaarul Haq Seasona senator perceived as close to the military, will be Pakistanas caretaker prime minister until the general election is over.

The senator for the southwestern province of Balochistan was elected after two-day meetings between the prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and Raja Riaz, the alleged leader of the opposition in the lower house of parliament, the National Assembly.
“The prime minister and the opposition leader jointly signed the advice and sent it to the president,” read a statement from Shehbaz’s office. President Arif Alvi then approved the appointment.

Kakar’s appointment means the powerful military establishment had chosen its man to head the interim setup. He also indicates that top generals would continue to run the country’s political theater from behind the scenes, and that jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s legal and political troubles were unlikely to end anytime soon.
Under Pakistan’s constitution, an interim government oversees general elections, which must be held within 90 days of the dissolution of the lower house of parliament. In this case, that would have meant November. But observers are writing off this year’s election due to a variety of factors, saying the interim configuration will remain in power for at least the next seven months, or even longer.
Sharif thanked Riaz for his “cooperation” in the talks and “his excellent leadership of the opposition over the past 16 months.” The senator reciprocated, saying that Prime Minister Shehbaz had “accepted his (Kakkar’s) choice.” “He had given him this name (Kakar) and the prime minister has given his consent,” Riaz told reporters, adding that Kakar would be sworn in on Sunday.
Elected to the National Assembly in 2018 on a ticket from Imran’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Riaz got rid of his party boss by supporting the motion of no confidence against him in April 2022 that led to the former player’s departure from cricket as prime minister.
As the leader of the opposition, Riaz had publicly announced that he would contest the upcoming elections on the platform of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) led by Prime Minister Shehbaz. Riaz is also considered close to the exiled PML-N chief, Nawaz Sharif.