A little-known senator from Pakistan’s least populous province of Balochistan was appointed interim prime minister of the country today until general elections scheduled for next October, amid a period of political instability in Pakistan that worsened in 2022, when the then premier was fired.
“We agreed that the prime minister must be from a smaller province so that their claims are met,” opposition leader Raja Riaz Ahmad said after a meeting with outgoing prime minister Shehbaz Sharif, the AFP news agency reported.
Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, 52, will lead the country until the next general and provincial elections scheduled for November, although several officials warned that the elections will be postponed to 2024.
The announcement comes after last Wednesday the presidency announced the dissolution of Parliament and the Executive and the formation of an interim government made up of technocrats.
“The president (Arif Alvi) dissolved the National Assembly, following the recommendation of the prime minister,” the presidential cabinet said in a statement four days ago.
The political climate in Pakistan became tense when former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who had taken office in 2018, was removed from his post in April 2022 with a parliamentary vote of no confidence, after several weeks of political crisis in this South Asian country.
In his replacement, the opposition Shehbaz Sharif, from the Muslim League (Nawaz), took power until last Wednesday.
Khan has been the subject of more than 150 legal proceedings since his removal from power, charges he says are politically motivated.
In recent months, the authorities have cracked down on his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), arresting many of its leaders.
The leader was found guilty in a case over gifts he received while in office, sentenced to three years in jail and jailed this weekend.
While the former premier enjoyed strong popular support when he came to power in 2018, analysts believe he only did so with the blessing of the country’s powerful generals.
Khan is barred from running for office for five years, though he has appealed his sentence.
Under the Pakistani constitution, elections must be held within 90 days of the dissolution of Parliament, but potential changes to electoral constituencies and the adoption of a law last month giving the interim executive more power to negotiate with international bodies predict that the elections could take time to be held.
The United States declared last Wednesday that it was following the situation in the country with concern, and fears that violence would break out as the elections approached.
In Pakistan, after each election, the Army hides, which has staged at least three successful coups since independence from the partition of India in 1947.
Source: Ambito
