PPP denies consensus on Hafeez Shaikh for caretaker PM

Islamabad: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Secretary General Nayyar Hussain Bokhari on Monday denied that there was any consensus on the name of former Finance Minister Hafeez Shaikh for the post of caretaker prime minister.

“Rana Sanaullah should not have talked about the name of Hafeez Sheikh,” the PPP chairman said in response to a statement yesterday by the interior minister.

Sanaullah claimed that Hafeez Shaikh was among the candidates shortlisted for the post of caretaker prime minister. Earlier, it had been reported that he was one of five names shortlisted by the ruling coalition.

The alleged list also reportedly includes former Chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani.

Bokhari said it was not the interior minister’s prerogative to comment on the names of candidates for the post of caretaker prime minister.

Further commenting on the recent approval of the 2023 digital census by the Council of Common Interests (CCI), Bokhari said that a constitutional amendment is needed to increase the number of seats according to the new census.

Concerns were raised over the potential delay of elections as a result of this, when the PM Shehbaz has hinted at dissolving the National Assembly on August 9.