Outgoing PM Shehbaz Sharif and the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, Raja Riaz, have agreed not to disclose names discussed for the caretaker prime minister, out of which one will oversee a general election which is expected to be held this year.

“It has been agreed with the prime minister that names will not be disclosed,” Riaz told reporters in Islamabad on Thursday after meeting PM Shehbaz. “Cannot say anything about the names under consideration. We have to deliberate on the names within three days.”

Under the constitution and tradition, the outgoing primer and the lead of the opposition propose three names each for the caretaker prime minister slot.

The consultation may last up to three days, the maximum allowed under the Constitution.

Under the Constitution, they have three days to reach an agreement on a caretaker. If they can’t, the decision will go to a parliamentary committee. The Election Commission of Pakistan will decide if the committee fails to decide.

Riaz, who arrived at the PM House in the afternoon as both sides started consultation on the appointment of an interim leader, earlier said that he was going to name three people for the position.

Riaz added that the consultation with the prime minister was held in a “good atmosphere”. The opposition leader said that no name has been finalised yet for the caretaker prime minister. “I and the prime minister did not know each other’s names. Hopefully the names will be agreed upon in a day or two. Shahbaz Sharif will decide on merit.”

The lower house of Parliament was dissolved on Wednesday, three days before the end of its five-year term on Aug. 12.

A general election in the South Asian country of 241 million people should be held in 90 days but it could be delayed for several months if the country’s top electoral authority seeks more time to redraw the boundaries of hundreds of constituencies based on a new census data which was recently approved by the Council of Common Interests.

Many leaders in the ruling alliance have called for timely elections despite the CCI’s decision.

The parliamentary tenure of the coalition government, which came after the ouster of the-then prime minister Imran Khan via a vote of no-confidence, ended on Wednesday.

Khan has been at the heart of months of political turmoil since he was ousted, raising new worries about stability. He has since been jailed in connection with a graft case and has, as a result, been barred from taking part in an election for five years.

IMF willing to work with caretaker setup: sources

Pakistan has taken the International Monetary Fund (IMF) into confidence in the matter of extension of the caretaker setup, sources told Aaj News and the global loan lender has also expressed its willingness to work with it.

Moreover, consideration for the important ministries in the caretaker government was under way. Names of Sultan Allana, Shabbar Zaidi, Tariq Bajwa and Dr Ashfaq were being considered for the caretaker setup, they added.

Names of Muhammad Mian Soomro and Ejaz Gohar were under consideration for the ministries of economic affairs and commerce respectively.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was seeking names from the alliance for a caretaker government. He also wrote to the president of Pakistan Muslim League-Q’s Chaudhary Shujaat.

Shujaat sent five names to Premier Shehbaz which, according to sources, include Ghulam Mustafa Malik, Dr Amjad, Ayesha Gulalai, Chaudhry Ansar and Dr Irfan.

With input from Reuters

More to follow…