KARACHI: Despite being dubbed a ‘dark horse’, voices from across the political spectrum on Saturday congratulated Anwarul Haq Kakar on his appointment as the caretaker prime minister, with former and current PTI members being unanimous in their endorsement of the senator from Balochistan.

National Assembly Spe­aker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf also congratulated the ne­­wly-minted interim PM, exp­ressing confidence in Mr Kakar’s expertise and his commitment to the continuity of democracy.

In a statement, Baloch­i­stan As­­se­mbly Speaker Mir Jan Muham­mad Khan Ja­­mali said that through this appointment, Islamabad had recognised the importance and usefulness of the Balochistan Awami Party.

PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Senator Ali Zafar and Usman Dar all extended their congratulations to the new interim PM.

Mr Qureshi also highlighted that while the names proposed by his party were not taken into account.

“I offer my congratulations to Mr Kakar for his selection, but it’s certainly unjust that the suggested names were overlooked, as this decision was meant to be impartial,” he remarked while speaking to Geo News.

Senator Ali Zafar des­cribed Mr Kakar as an “intelligent, articulate and reasonable” man who belie­v­­es in the “politics of cooperation, not confrontation. Wish him the best,” he po­sted on X, formerly Twitter.

Former information mi­­nister and ex-PTI me­­mber Fawad Chaudhry also echoed these sentiments, referring to Mr Kakar as a “sincere, educated, and humble” individual.

“After quite some time, a positive development for Pakistan,” he tweeted.

PPP ‘divided’?

While the Pakistan Pe­­o­­ples Party, by and large, seemed to welcome the appointment of Mr Kakar as caretaker PM, there were grumblings within the party over their suggestions not being considered.

Senator Saleem Man­d­viwalla exten­ded his congratulations to Mr Kakar for assuming the role of interim prime minister.

“We anticipate that Mr Kakar will carry out his obligations in alignment with constitutional and legal mandates,” he told Dawn.com.

Mr Mandviwalla noted that Mr Kakar was stepping into the position of caretaker prime minister during a challenging period, emphasising that ensuring fair and transparent elections would be a significant task.

“We hope he will execute his responsibilities with the utmost care,” he added.

Another PPP leader, Faisal Karim Kundi also welcomed the developm­ent and extended his congratulations to Mr Kakar. “PPP left it to PM Sheh­baz to nominate [careta­ker] PM in consultation with the opposition lead­­er. Hope under his leadership Election Com­mis­sion will conduct free and fair Elections.,” he comm­ented. But in contr­ast, for­­mer minister Khu­rsh­eed Shah voiced his opposition to Mr Kakar’s sel­ection, stating: “We were not informed about Mr Kakar’s finalisation, and another candidate wou­­ld have been preferable.”

However, he noted, “Mr Kakar’s success in ensuring transparent elections would leave a lasting impression.”

Mr Shah told Dawn.com that the PPP had put forth five names for the slot of interim PM, and Mr Ka­­kar was not on their list.

Mr Shah’s statement indicated that the PPP had reservations over the appointment, though party leader Shazia Marri later clarified through a statement that the PPP had entrusted PM Shehbaz with the task of recommending the interim premier’s name.

Ms Marri emphasised that the party’s main focus was the upcoming general elections, and it sought their conduct in adherence with the law and the Constitution.

Published in Dawn, August 13th, 2023