Pakistan: Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar named as caretaker Prime Minister ahead of vote

Pakistani senator Anwaar-ul-haq Kakar was named as caretaker prime minister to oversee national elections, the prime minister's office said on Saturday following a meeting between outgoing premier Shehbaz Sharif and opposition leader Raja Riaz.

"We first agreed that whoever should be prime minister, he should be from a smaller province so smaller provinces' grievances should be addressed," said Raja Riaz Ahmad after a meeting with outgoing premier Shehbaz Sharif.

Pakistan's parliament was dissolved on Wednesday and by law an election should be held within 90 days, but the results of the latest census released last week means more time will likely be needed to redraw constituencies.

Whenever it happens, it will likely be without former prime minister Imran Khan, who was convicted of graft last weekend and sentenced to three years in jail.

The interim government takes over a country that has been in political turmoil since Khan was dismissed by a no-confidence vote in April last year, and is also facing overlapping economic and security issues.

Kakar, a lawmaker belonging to Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), will lead a caretaker government until a new election later this year. Kakar has been serving a six-year term in Pakistan's Senate since 2018.

Prime Minister Sharif recommended the dissolution of the National Assembly on August 9, three days before the mandated term, therefore, according to the Constitution, the next general elections will be held in 90 days.

The choice of caretaker prime minister has assumed heightened importance this time because the candidate will have extra powers to make policy decisions on economic matters, and amid fears the elections may be delayed by as much as six months, reported news agency Reuters.