Pakistan’s Finance Minister Ishaq Dar’s Name Likely To Be Pitched For Interim Prime Minister

On Sunday, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party is considering nominating Finance Minister Ishaq Dar to serve as caretaker prime minister.

Dar’s name came to light as the Shehbaz Sharif-led government considered changes to the Elections Act 2017 to allow the upcoming caretaker government to make decisions beyond its constitutional mandate, in order to ensure the continuity of the recently implemented economic plan and expedite the process of receiving foreign investment in state-owned entities.

The Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N) was considering naming the caretaker prime minister Dar as part of a larger plot to oversee the implementation of economic policies.

The ultimate decision on Dar’s candidacy, however, will be made next week in conjunction with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), one of the two major coalition partners.

According to PML-N sources, the government is considering amending Section 230 of the Elections Act 2017, allowing the caretaker government to make economic decisions, and the amendments could be introduced in the National Assembly next week to allow the caretaker government to make economic decisions.

Pakistan’s economy is in a phase where day-to-day decisions cannot be made for three months, according to a senior cabinet member who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

He went on to say that in order to keep the IMF program on track and the country on pace for the second review in November, the caretaker government needed broader authority to make economic decisions.

Section 230 states that a caretaker (interim) government shall only conduct responsibilities essential to administer the government’s affairs on a daily basis.

It will help the Election Commission of Pakistan in conducting general elections in line with the law and will limit itself to regular, non-controversial, and urgent operations in the public interest that can be undone by a future elected administration.

The current law also prohibits the caretaker administration from making important policy decisions, save in cases of emergency.

It cannot enter into a large contract or undertaking if it is damaging to the public interest, nor can it embark into substantial international negotiations with any foreign country or international organization, nor can it sign or ratify any international binding document, save in extraordinary circumstances.

According to the sources, the proposal was to change both subsections of Section 230 dealing with the authority granted to the interim set-up.

Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar and Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb both declined to comment on the proposed revisions to the Elections Act.

The then-caretaker administration planned to enter into program negotiations with the IMF in July 2018, but the then-law minister objected on the grounds that the interim government lacked such authority.

According to the sources, all of the measures would necessitate the continuation of the current economic team.

They said that the PML-N’s top leadership wanted Finance Minister Dar to be chosen as interim prime minister for this reason.

In that event, Tariq Bajwa, special assistant to the Prime Minister of Finance, may stay in his current role.

This arrangement, however, required the approval of the Pakistan Peoples Party. There may also be concerns about Ishaq Dar’s political membership.

If Ishaq Dar is appointed interim prime minister, he may not return as finance minister in the next administration if the current political regime is re-elected.

Former finance minister Hafeez Shaikh’s name has also been floated for the job of caretaker prime minister

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