Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar’s choice as PM raises concerns over Pakistan Army’s intentions

Although taken by surprise, Pakistan’s opposition and other political figures have accepted Kakar’s nomination as a neutral choice but worry that the army will play a greater role in the politics of the country.

Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar to be Pakistan’s caretaker PM

The nomination of Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, a lesser-known Senator from Balochistan to head the caretaker government of Pakistan, as Prime Minister until parliamentary elections, has surprised most political figures in the country.

The fact that he was put in the important position on the recommendation of the all-powerful army has also raised questions on what it would mean for Pakistan in the coming days.

Surprise at the choice

Pakistani media has quoted several former legislators and political leaders expressing surprise at Kakar’s choice.

Kakar’s name came from somewhere else, and it had to be accepted by all stakeholders, a politician who was not identified, said.

Pakistan People’s Party leader Syed Khursheed Shah said no one was aware that Kakar would be the interim PM. He said the PPP had proposed three names that were better options. “We should hope for the best, irrespective of the fact where the name came from,” he added.

Kakar will head an administration that will oversee day-to-day affairs and ensure smooth transition of power through free and fair elections.

The outgoing Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, and the leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Raja Riaz, accepted Kakar’s name after several rounds of discussions. Pakistan President Arif Alvi also gave his assent to the decision.

Kakar will take the oath of office soon.

“We decided the caretaker PM should be someone from a smaller province and a non-controversial personality,” Riaz said. “Our aim was to remove the sense of deprivation in small provinces,” he added.

Pakistan’s English daily, Dawn, acknowledged in its editorial that Kakar’s selection will “be scrutinised and re-scrutinised in the coming days, and dissected for its implications for the country”.

Who is Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar?

Kakar, a master’s degree holder in political science from Balochistan University began his political career with the Pakistan Muslim League Quaid (PMLQ) party that broke away from Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PLMN) on the army’s initiative. But he lost the election for the National Assembly seat on the PMLQ ticket from Quetta.

In 2012 he joined the PLMN but was denied a ticket in the 2013 elections.

He became one of the founding members of the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) in 2018 and got elected to the National Assembly in the same year. The BAP was floated with the active support of the military establishment to deal with the restive and impoverished province of Balochistan and its frequent troubles with insurgency.

The BAP came into being around the time the army propped up Imran Khan to counter Nawaz Sharif. Sharif was barred from contesting the polls and was jailed on corruption charges in 2018.

Kakar has served as the chairperson of the Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development. He has been a member of the Senate’s Business Advisory, Finance and Revenue, Foreign Affairs and Science and Technology committees.

Despite the surprise at Kakar’s choice, observers think he is “politically non-controversial and a palatable choice.”

The wider implication of Kakar’s choice

Choosing a caretaker PM had turned out to be a contentious issue among the PMLN, the PPP and the smaller political parties.

The PMLN supremo Nawaz Sharif wanted a trusted leader for the post. But several rounds of talks between him and PPP chairperson Asif Ali Zardari in Dubai in recent weeks, failed to achieve an agreement.

Source: https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/world/anwaar-ul-haq-kakars-choice-as-pm-raises-concerns-over-pak-armys-intentions-11182351.html