Islamabad, May 28: Former Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk was announced as Pakistan's caretaker Prime Minister on Monday.

The announcement was made by opposition leader Khursheed Shah at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq.

"We have selected a candidate for caretaker Premier who will prove to play a democratic role in the upcoming general election," Abbasi said, adding "every name was discussed, and this name was decided upon. It's a name no one can point fingers at". 

"No one's name was discarded... We have chosen his name on the basis of merit," Shah said.

It took the government and the opposition six meetings to decide on a name for the coveted position. Earlier, there was a lack of consensus between both sides, with many believing the issue would be sent to a parliamentary committee for deliberation, Dawn online reported.

Justice Mulk has served as the 22nd Chief Justice of Pakistan. He performed the duties of acting Chief Election Commissioner from November 30, 2013, to July 6, 2014.

He is one of the seven judges who signed a restraining order on November 3, 2007, when former President Pervez Musharraf imposed emergency and forcibly sent the judges home.

Justice Mulk is also remembered for the way he conducted a contempt case against former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.

He has held the office of the chairman of the enrolment committee of the Pakistan Bar Council as well as the chairman of the building committee of the under-construction Supreme Court Bar Association complex.

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New Delhi (PTI): Delhi woke up to GRAP Stage III restrictions on Friday, as the city's air quality remained in the 'severe' category for the third consecutive day, prompting strict measures to curb pollution levels.

According to the Sameer aap , the Air Quality Index at 9 am was recorded in the 'severe' category (400 to 500), with a reading of 411.

The CAQM imposed GRAP Stage III as the national capital recorded the worst pollution levels in the country, with the air quality remaining in the 'severe' category for two consecutive days.

Prior to entering the 'severe' category, Delhi's air quality had been in the 'very poor ' range for 14 consecutive days.

It directed the authorities in Delhi-NCR to invoke curbs under stage III of the anti-pollution plan with immediate effect.

Curbs under Stage III include a ban on non-essential construction and demolition, closure of stone crushers and mining activities in Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR).

Under the Stage-IV restrictions of GRAP, all inter-state buses from NCR states 'except electric vehicles, CNG vehicles and BS-VI diesel buses' will be prohibited from entering Delhi, alongside a stringent ban on construction and demolition activities, suspension of mining-related activities, consideration of shifting to online classes for students up to Class V and daily water sprinkling on major roads.

Meanwhile, out of 39 monitoring stations in Delhi, a total of 27 stations recorded air quality in the 'severe' category, with readings above 400.

These stations include Alipur, Anand Vihar, Ashok Vihar, Aya Nagar, Bawana, CRRI Mathura Road, IGI Airport, ITO, Jahangirpuri, Mandir Marg, Mundka, Najafgarh, Nehru Nagar, North Campus, Okhla Phase 2, Patparganj, Punjabi Bagh, Pusa, RK Puram, Rohini, and several others.

The city recorded its lowest minimum temperature (night time temperature) of the season at 15.6 degree Celsius, 2.6 notches above normal, according to the weather department.

The night time temperature on Thursday was recorded at 16.1°C, the second highest of the season so far. A thick veil of fog blanketed the city, reducing visibility at Safdarjung to 400 meters at 7 am on Friday.

Humidity was recorded at 98 per cent at 8:30 am.

The weather department has forecast very dense fog for the day, with the maximum temperature expected to settle at 29 degrees Celsius.

Additionally, Delhi's air quality has been recorded as the worst in the country for the past two days.