ISLAMABAD: An eight-member parliamentary committee has been formed to evolve a consensus for appointing caretaker prime minister. A notification from the National Assembly Secretariat is expected to be issued in this regard later this evening.

The members include Sardar Mahtab Abbasi, Sardar Yaqoob Nasir, Pervez Rasheed, Saad Rafiq, Chaudhry Shujaat, Farooq Naek, Khurshid Shah and Ghulam Bilour.

The committee has the mandate to choose a candidate for the position of caretaker prime minister within three days’ time.

Under the constitution, the parliamentary committee has to evolve a consensus on one name for the caretaker prime minister within three days and if it fails to do so in the stipulated time, the matter will automatically go to the Election Commission, which will have to finalise one name out of four, two each from the prime minister and the opposition leader in the NA.

The development followed a meeting of leaders of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), chaired by Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, which ended with the party unwilling to compromise on the names of its nominees for caretaker prime minister.

Sources told DawnNews that the party has decided to take the matter to the stage of the eight-member committee.

The PPP had initially proposed the names of Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, Dr Ishrat Hussain, and Justice (retd) Mir Hazar Khan Khoso for the position of caretaker PM. Moreover, the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz had proposed the names of Justice (retd) Nasir Aslam Zahid, Justice (retd) Shakirullah Jan and Rasul Bakhsh Palijo.

All four names from the opposition’s side of the committee are of PML-N members. However, constitutional experts have said PML-N has to give equal representation to all opposition parties in the committee so its members do not become controversial.

Moreover, speaking at a press conference in Lahore, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan blamed PPP for the stalemate on appointing caretaker PM and said even the parliamentary committee is not likely to resolve the issue.

He also assailed the PPP for choosing Justice (retd) Zahid Qurban Alvi as likely caretaker CM in Sindh and alleged that the MQM parted ways to sit on opposition benches just to influence the appointment of caretakers through joint planning with the ruling party.

The PML-N leader said that Justice (retd) Alvi is considered to have close ties with the PPP.