Anwaarul Haq Kakar Chosen as Pakistan’s Caretaker PM

Anwaarul Haq Kakar, a senator from the Balochistan Awami Party, has been chosen by Pakistan to lead the interim administration leading up to the November election.

The long-awaited choice was made as a result of an understanding reached today at a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and departing NA Opposition Leader Raja Riaz, when they decided on Kakar's candidacy for the prestigious position, according to Dawn.

According to a press statement from the Pakistan Prime Minister's Office (PMO), both PM Shehbaz and PM Riaz have recommended to President Alvi Kakar's nomination as interim prime minister.

"We had previously decided that the caretaker PM should hail from a smaller province and possess a non-controversial demeanor," Riaz remarked when confirming the situation to the media. The perception of underrepresentation in smaller provinces was something we wanted to address.

Kakar was elected to a six-year term as a senator in 2018, and his term will expire in March 2024.

He also served as the Senate's legislative leader for the Balochistan Awami Party, which had just been founded in 2018.

Kakar retained this position of leadership for an outstanding five years. However, the party chose new leadership barely five months ago, which led to his ouster.

Political dissenters from the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and Pakistan Muslim League (Q) in Balochistan are said to have created the Balochistan Awami Party.

After the 2018 general election, the party won the most votes in Balochistan and became the helm of the provincial coalition government. 

The Balochistan Awami Party has four elected representatives in the KP Assembly and is a member of the alliance that controls the National Assembly.

A day after the National Assembly was adjourned early on August 9th, the selection process for the interim prime minister got under way. On August 10, PM Shehbaz and Raja Riaz met for the first time and exchanged a list of prospective applicants for the coveted position.

The second round of discussions took place yesterday night at a dinner that PM Shehbaz threw for members of the departing government coalition.

PM Shehbaz then offered assurance that the name of the temporary administration's leader will be decided upon before Saturday.

Insiders acquainted with the present political climate told Dawn that Raja Riaz, who is frequently seen as a "friendly opposition leader," reportedly changed his mind about being chosen as interim prime minister. Instead of approving the names the PML-N had suggested, he had been arguing for his own favored candidate.

According to sources, PM Shehbaz Sharif, who is the head of the PML-N, was pushing for former finance minister Ishaq Dar to be appointed as the interim premier. Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was proposed if Dar wasn't an option.

But Riaz, a PTI dissident who lacks the support of a political party, appeared to be under the sway of another power structure since, according to insiders, he insisted on using the name of Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani. On Friday, Dar, Ahsan Iqbal, and Sanjrani met with Riaz.