ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary panel will take up on Tuesday a host of issues, including the mechanism for formation of a caretaker government at the time of general elections in the country.

The sub-committee of the Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reforms headed by Minister for Climate Change Zahid Hamid will also review the “powers and functions” of the caretaker government, according to the agenda issued by the National Assembly Secretariat.

During its meeting last month, members of the panel had called for barring caretaker governments from making major policy decisions in light of court judgments.

Mr Hamid had told journalists at the time that the sub-committee had decided to include a chapter in the Constitution to define powers of caretaker governments.

Under Article 224 of the constitution, a caretaker prime minister is appointed by the president in consultation with the prime minister and the opposition leader of the outgoing National Assembly. Similarly, a governor appoints the caretaker chief minister in consultations with the chief minister and the opposition leader of the outgoing provincial assembly.

Talking to Dawn here on Monday, PTI leader and a member of the sub-committee Dr Arif Alvi said his party wanted to amend the Constitution in such a way that it should be binding upon the opposition leader and the prime minister to consult all political parties before finalising the name of caretaker prime minister.

Giving an example from the 2013 general elections, Mr Alvi said members of the MQM decided to sit on the opposition benches just 20 days before the expiry of the term of the Sindh Assembly and thus managed to have a ‘muk muka’ (deal) with the ruling PPP to have the caretaker set-up of their choice.

Published in Dawn, November 24th, 2015