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.
Khan also reminded the military establishment that it should keep in mind that it can no longer be able to force the nation to accept “corrupt rulers”.
Former Pakistan Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan. (ANI)
The Army chief is the most powerful person in Pakistan’s politics and everyone follows his decisions, ousted prime minister Imran Khan has said, slamming the military establishment for siding with the country’s “corrupt mafias” to ensure that he should not return to power.
Addressing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party supporters from his Zaman Park residence here on Friday evening, Khan urged the people to stand with the Supreme Court at the time when the “imported government” is trying to bring it down.
“The Army chief is the most powerful person in Pakistan’s politics. All follow his decisions. The military establishment is siding with the corrupt mafia – Sharifs and Zardaris – only to ensure that I must not return to power,” he said.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz-led coalition government has imposed an “undeclared ban” on the broadcast of the PTI chief’s speeches by the country’s electronic media.
Expressing his serious concerns over the division in the country’s Supreme Court, Khan said it will be a great tragedy for the country.
“Division in the Supreme Court will be a great tragedy. I appeal to the nation to stand with the apex court at a time when this imported government is making an all-out effort to bring it disrepute.
“Let me tell you… democracy in Pakistan is now hanging by a thread called Supreme Court and all those, who want democracy in the country, should stand with it,” the 70-year-old cricketer-turned-politician said.
The PTI chief said if the government does not stop conspiring against the apex court and continues defying the implementation of its decision to hold elections in Punjab on May 14, the nation must get ready to take to the streets after Eid.
