Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar was sworn in on Monday in Pakistan to officially assume the role of caretaker prime minister and lead the country until elections scheduled in a few months.
“I will endeavor to preserve the Islamic ideology which is the basis of the creation of Pakistan. I will not allow my personal interests to influence my conduct or my official decisions”, promised during a ceremony broadcast live to the television the one who until now was a senator from the province of Balochistan.
The new interim head of government was sworn in by President Arif Alvi on the country’s Independence Day, Monday afternoon in the presence of outgoing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The first task for Kakar, 52, will be to choose a cabinet to lead the country ahead of an election period that could last for months.
Parliament was officially dissolved last week and elections must be held within 90 days, according to the Constitution, but the release last weekend of the latest census data could delay them.
The government has indicated that the electoral commission needs time to redraw electoral boundaries, as authorities try to bring stability in the face of the security, economic and political crises plaguing the country.
The political climate has been turbulent since Imran Khan was removed from office as Prime Minister by a vote of no confidence in April 2022. Last weekend the very popular septuagenarian was sentenced to three years in prison for corruption and imprisoned. Mr Khan, who is also barred from standing for election for five years, has appealed his conviction.
Mr. Kakar “has a limited political career and does not weigh heavily in Pakistani politics,” said political analyst Hasan Askari Rizvi, interviewed by AFP.
“That can be an advantage as he doesn’t have a strong affiliation with the main political parties”, but “the downside”, according to the analyst, “is that he might find it difficult to deal with the problems it will face, without the active support of the military establishment”.
“I have confidence in the ability of the interim Prime Minister to organize free and fair elections,” said outgoing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in a farewell speech to the nation late Sunday afternoon.
Last month, parliament hastily passed a law giving the caretaker government more power to negotiate with international bodies such as the International Monetary Fund. An additional clue suggesting that it could remain in place for a while.
Some analysts believe the delay could buy time for the main coalition partners, namely the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), to hone a strategy against Mr Khan’s party. , Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
The United States said on Wednesday it was following the situation in Pakistan with concern, fearing that violence could break out in the run-up to the elections.
In Pakistan, behind every election is the military, which has staged at least three successful coups since the country was forged from the partition of India in 1947.
Mr Khan enjoyed genuine popular support when he came to power in 2018, but experts believe it was only with the blessing of the country’s powerful generals, with whom he reportedly fell out within months that preceded his ouster.
08/14/2023 12:47:26 – Islamabad (AFP) – © 2023 AFP
