A day after Pakistan's National Assembly was dissolved, paving the way for general elections, outgoing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a meeting with Leader of the Opposition Raja Riaz to select a caretaker premier, Radio Pakistan reported. However, the two leaders failed to reach a consensus and another round of meeting will be held on Friday.
The caretaker prime minister will manage the interim government affairs till general elections. The elections are likely to take place next year in February or March.
Talking to reporters, Riaz said the hour-long meeting with Shehbaz Sharif was held in a cordial and conducive environment. Riaz said six names were discussed during the meeting and all of them were "respectable people".
The leader of opposition, however, refused to reveal the name of the candidates being deliberated for the caretaker PM's post.
"I will deliberate on the names given by the PM, and similarly, the PM will go through the names given by me… a meeting will be held again tomorrow (Friday)," Dawn quoted Riaz as saying.
Sharif and the leader of the opposition have three days to decide the name of the interim prime minister.
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If the duo fail to reach a consensus, the matter will be referred to a parliamentary committee. If the committee fails to zero in on a name, then the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will have two days to choose the caretaker prime minister from the list of names shared with it.
As per a Geo TV report, three names have been proposed, including two nominations -- former diplomat Jalil Abbas Jilani and former chief justice of Pakistan Tassaduq Hussain Jilani -- sent by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). The third name doing the rounds is of Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori.