Five names shortlisted for caretaker PM: Syed Khurshid Shah

Karachi: Pakistan People’s Party leader Syed Khurshid Shah said that five names have been shortlisted for the caretaker Prime Minister (PM), elaborating on that it has been decided the assemblies will be dissolved on August 9.

While talking to media persons after visiting the site of the Greater Karachi Bulk Water Supply Scheme K-IV project at Keenjhar Lake on Sunday, he said that they were making all-out efforts to complete the project by 2024 or at the start of 2025.

The PPP leader said that member of a political party cannot become caretaker prime minister, adding that he has no information about who came forward with Finance Minister Ishaq Dar’s name as a caretaker prime minister.

He said a Committee of all parties finalized these names. The shortlisted candidates for Caretaker PM were neutral and they were not associated with any political party.

Replying to a question over the delay of the K-IV project which was expected to complete in 2018, he said, ‘Where there is a will, there is a way.’

He said that their ‘Will’ was that they had to complete this project whether two months before or two months later.

He said that an investigation should be carried out to know about the responsible for the project’s design, and who become the cause of the failure of the first project. He further said that the delay was a big tragedy.

Khursheed Shah said that the design of the project had been finalized while keeping in view the failure of the first project.

Replying to another question, he said that the water of the K-IV project would be supplied through pressure pumps.

While expressing his concerns over the non-availability of infrastructure to supply water to the K-IV project, he said that talks with the Sindh government were underway over the issue and he hoped that the provincial government would look into the matter immediately.

He said that the funding for the project was being provided.

Answering a question on additional water, he said that the KB Feeder project would be started this year and that would be based on a 50 per cent share each by the federal and Sindh governments.

The caretaker prime minister will be able to continue working on the elected government’s projects, but he cannot work on or launch new projects, he added.

Furthermore, he said that the final decision will be made by the PDM as stated by the JUI chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

It is pertinent to mention here that report started making rounds that Ishaq Dar is likely to become caretaker prime minister (PM) as Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) becomes active to convince coalition parties in this regard.

Ishaq Dar is the current finance minister and is considered to be a close ally of the former prime minister and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif.

However, the ruling coalition parties including Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) have rejected to receive any suggestions from PML-N regarding Ishaq Dar for caretaker prime minister’s (PM) slot.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman-led JUI-F and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari-led PPP rejected such reports regarding their agreement on appointing Ishaq Dar as the caretaker PM.

On the other hand, Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar that he will accept any decision the leadership takes about the caretaker Prime Minister

Dar said that the discussion regarding the caretaker prime minister is premature at this time. The coalition government and PDM will decide on the caretaker premier, he added.

The finance minister said that without increasing the powers of the caretaker prime minister the country cannot run but the caretaker government needs 90 days instead of 60 days.