Pakistan senator chosen as caretaker prime minister

In Pakistan a senator has been named as the country’s caretaker prime minister until their next election Anwar kakar is a little-known politician from the country’s least populated Province Pakistan’s general elections are due to take place this year and this is following a political crisis after former prime minister Imran Khan was

Sentenced to three years in prison for corruption Khan has also been barred from returning to politics for five years earlier we spoke with Yasser Qureshi he’s a departmental lecturer in South Asian studies at the University of Oxford he explains why Anwar kakar might have been selected for this role

Senator from the province of Balochistan and he belongs to the the uh the bach party which is a par a small party that was formed and understood to have closed eyes with Pakistan’s military so the understanding is that his appointment as caretaker prime minister is a reflection

Of the continued sort of uh influence the military had and continues to have and hopes to continue to have in the upcoming caretaker government given his prior close relations with the party from which he comes and his relationship with the military it’s also worth pointing out that prior to that he was

Aligned with the pmln the Muslim League so it’s probably the fact that he has a prior relationship with the pmln and currently stand has good standing with the military leadership and uh that made a much useful choice for all the key stakeholders in the upcoming process now

You say upcoming process we know this election uh is now supposed to take place I believe within 90 days of the dissolution of government but but the Pakistani government announced that there’s going to be this new census that’s going to be completed new constituency boundaries have to be drawn

That’s going to take a little bit longer what do you think will be the effect of the delay in in this election process so I I think it’s important to think about the uh this whole discussion about the census as it’s sort of uh what’s happened is that a pretext has been

Created for a delay in elections should one be needed right uh so if the powers that be in Pakistan or the political stakeholders decide we want to see the election delay to February March Etc the the question of delimitations is a useful pretext to do that right and to

Move beyond the 90-day constitutional limit that is otherwise present right and I think what that means is that it would be an opportunity for the government that if the government or the military or the caretaking government feels that before elections we need to make sure that uh either the PTI and

Imran Khan can be put in as manageable as position as possible and I think that’s very important for the military aspect the the government both the Muslim League and the military as well and that the necessary economic actions that they are particularly concerned about can be carried out before an

Election essentially it’s a way to minimize the uncertainty that uh the military and other stakeholders feel about what the election is what what election result can emerge and so the longer the delay is a way to ensure they have a result that is most amenable to the powers that be in Pakistan

That was Yasser Qureshi a departmental lecturer in South Asian studies at the University of Oxford he spoke with us from London

Senator Anwar ul-Haq Kakar has been chosen as Pakistan’s caretaker prime minister until a general election is held later this year.

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