ISLAMABAD: Another meeting between Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah on the issue of the caretaker set-up remained inconclusive on Tuesday.

Soon after his meeting with Mr Abbasi held at the Prime Minister’s Office, Mr Shah told reporters that there was still a lack of consensus and that they would meet again in a day or two in an effort to reach an agreement on a name for the office of the caretaker prime minister.

Mr Shah claimed that Mr Abbasi had not objected to any of the names proposed by him, adding that the names suggested by the government were also good. He said the prime minister did not insist on any of the names and, therefore, the meeting remained inconclusive.

Names for caretaker prime minister exchanged

“We will have further deliberations and try to reach a consensus,” Mr Shah said, expressing the hope that they would be able to finalise the name in the next meeting.

Drawing attention of newsmen towards the constitutional provisions regarding the issue of the caretaker set-up, Mr Shah said if they failed to agree on a name for the caretaker prime minister, the matter would be referred to a bi-partisan parliamentary committee.

Both sides, he said, would suggest two names each to the committee, which would then choose one name from them.

According to the Constitution, if the committee also fails to take a decision, the matter then will be referred to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for a final decision. The Pakistan Peoples Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz have expressed the desire that they want to announce the name of the caretaker prime minister with consensus and do not want to see the matter getting referred to the ECP.

After his meeting with the prime minister last week, Mr Shah had declared that they would announce the name of the caretaker prime minister on Tuesday.

Sources in the PPP told Dawn that the party had proposed the names of former diplomat Jalil Abbas Jilani, former Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Zaka Ashraf and former defence secretary Salim Abbas Jilani.

The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), however, had rejected the name of Zaka Ashraf, but said it could consider the names of the two Jilanis.

Although it has no constitutional role in the matter, the PTI had last month floated the names of former chief justice of Pakistan Tasadduq Hussain Jilani, businessman Abdur Razzaq Dawood and former State Bank governor Dr Ishrat Husain for the caretaker prime minister.

In its core committee’s meeting presided over by PTI chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday, the party insisted that the government and the opposition should give a serious consideration to its nominees.

Both the prime minister and the opposition leader had already held three known formal meetings on the issue, but each time they claimed before the media that they had not discussed or exchanged the names so far. And it was for the first time that Mr Shah confirmed that they had exchanged the names.

The PML-N had reportedly suggested the name of former Supreme Court judge Nasirul Mulk and former State Bank governor Shamshad Akhtar, besides stating that it had no objection to the name of retired Justice Tasadduq Jilani.

Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2018