Senator Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar named Pakistan's caretaker Prime Minister
Islamabad, Aug 12: Senator Anwarul Haq Kakar was on Saturday appointed the caretaker prime minister of Pakistan to head a neutral political set-up to run the cash-strapped country until the next general elections.
Kakar's name was agreed upon during the final day of consultations between outgoing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the Leader of Opposition in the dissolved National Assembly, Raja Riaz Ahmad, according to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office.
"The prime minister and leader of the opposition jointly signed the advice (to appoint Kakar) and it was sent to the president," read the PMO statement.
Kakar, 52, is an ethnic Pushtun from Balochistan province and a part of the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) -- a party considered close to the powerful establishment of the country.
In his first reaction, Kakar tweeted: "Thank you to Allah Almighty who gives me the opportunity to Serve the Nation as Caretaker PM of Pakistan. I.A (inshallah) will do the best which will be in favour of Pakistan."
Speaking to the media, Opposition leader Riaz said: "We decided that the interim prime minister would be from a smaller province".
He said that Kakar's name was suggested by him which was approved.
President Arif Alvi approved the appointment of Kakar as the caretaker prime minister under Article 224(1A) of the Constitution.
Sharif also thanked Riaz for his cooperation during the consultation process and for his excellent leadership of the opposition during the past 16 months.
Former information minister Marriyum Aurangzeb also confirmed that Kakar emerged as a consensus candidate during a discussion between the prime minister and the opposition leader.
The premier and opposition parties began rounds of meetings to pick a caretaker prime minister following the dissolution of the National Assembly on August 9.
Under Provision of Article 224 (1A) of the Constitution, the president appoints the caretaker prime minister in consultation with the prime minister and leader of the opposition in the outgoing National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament.
Kakar was elected to the Senate in 2018 and has been a very active politician. He has also served as the spokesperson of the Balochistan provincial government prior to his election to the upper house.
Born in 1971 in the Muslim Bagh area of Qila Saifullah district of Balochistan. He holds a Master's degree in Political Science, Sociology and is an alumnus of the University of Balochistan.
The appointment of an interim government is a constitutional requirement and the outgoing prime minister is bound to choose his successor in consultation with the leader of the opposition within three days of the end of the National Assembly.
If the two leaders fail to reach a consensus, they send two names each to a bipartisan parliamentary panel which creates consensus on a single candidate within the next three days. However, in case of failure, the panel sends all names to the election commission which within two days appoints the caretaker premier.
The national assembly was dissolved on August 9 and Saturday was the last day for the prime minister and the leader of the opposition to agree upon a caretaker premier.
The general elections are expected to be held within 90 days but the election commission may take more time if it organises delimitation on the basis of a new census. Kakar will soon take an oath and choose his cabinet for the interim period to run the country.
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SC takes cognisance of NCERT class 8 chapter on corruption in judiciary
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Wednesday took suo motu cognisance of the contents of the class 8 NCERT textbook referring to corruption in the judiciary and termed it a matter of "grave concern."
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi was urged by senior advocate Kapil Sibal that "children of class 8 are taught about corruption in the judiciary. This is a matter of grave concern."
The CJI said, "I will not allow anybody to defame the institution. Law will take its course."
He added, "As head of the institution, I have done my duty and have taken cognisance … This seems to be a calculated move. I won't say much."
Justice Bagchi said the book seemed to be against the basic structure of the Constitution.
The CJI said, "Please wait for a few days. Bar and Bench all are perturbed. All high court judges are perturbed. I will take up the matter suo motu. I will not allow anybody to defame the institution. Law will take its course."
Later, Justice Kant said that the top court has taken suo motu cognisance of the matter.
Corruption, massive backlog of cases, and lack of an adequate number of judges are among the "challenges" faced by the judicial system, according to the new social science NCERT textbook for class 8.
The section "corruption in the judiciary" in the new book states that judges are bound by a code of conduct that governs not only their behaviour in court, but also how they conduct themselves outside it.
