The speculation on who would become the caretaker prime minister has finally ended. Senator Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar has been picked as the interim prime minister and will assume duties to the coveted post.
The much-anticipated decision was made after the outgoing prime minister and opposition leader reached a consensus on the key appointment. There was intense speculation over the past few weeks after it emerged that a politician would be appointed to the post.
The opposition leader Raja Riaz claims he proposed the name of Kakar and the prime minister accepted. But it must be mentioned that Raja Riaz remains without a political party after dissenting from the PTI and is merely a figurehead leader. Hence, there were concerns that the nominations proposed by Riaz were recommended by the other centres of power.
The government recently hinted that the interim prime minister could be from a smaller province. This caused speculation that the new prime minister could be from Sindh or Balochistan. At last, the rumour mills have been put to rest and we must move forward. Kakar remains a non-controversial personality who will be acceptable to all sides.
Kakar’s selection is rather unusual. This is perhaps the first time a serving Senator has been picked for the post. He is also the co-founder of the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), a party formed in 2018 mainly comprising PML-N and PML-Q dissidents. The party emerged as the largest party in the province after the 2018 elections and ruled through a coalition government. It was also part of the PDM alliance which ruled after the ouster of Imran Khan as prime minister in 2022.
The biggest responsibility Kakar as prime minister is ensuring that elections are held. There are concerns that elections could be delayed. It is his responsibility that not only are elections conducted but are held in a free, fair, and transparent manner. This could be an arduous task in the current political environment which would worsen in the coming days.
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan is currently in jail and remains barred from elections, while another former premier Nawaz Sharif is expected to return soon. It needs to be seen if the Caretaker PM will provide a conducive level-playing field or his tenure will be marred by controversies. For now, PM Kakar comes with huge responsibilities on his shoulders which he must dispense to the best of his abilities so that there are no doubts over the next elections.
