ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has confirmed that the two major coalition partners, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), have jointly shortlisted five names for the caretaker prime minister’s position.
In an interview Khawaja Asif said the shortlisted names were only decided between the PPP and PML-N yet, and they have agreed to appoint a politician as the interim premier.
He expressed the hope that one name from the pool will be finalised within a week and consultations extended to other coalition allies for their input and endorsement.
The minister said that the crucial consultation phase will also involve discussions with the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief, Maulana Fazlur Rehman.
He also stated that the final decision will be taken after consultations with the PDM chief.
Following this, Asif said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will also consult over the name for the caretaker PM with Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Raja Riaz in a meeting scheduled for August 2 or 3.
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