Former Pakistan Peoples Party leader Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar said that Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar’s nomination as caretaker PM had been made without even consulting politicians.

in a discussion over elections and the caretaker PM in Faisla Aap Ka with Asma Shirazi, Faisal Karim Kundi said that the Pakistan Democratic Movement and its allies had given power to choose the caretaker PM to then PM Shehbaz Sharif and therefore agreed with the decision, whether good or bad.

He also said that while he respected Akhtar Mengal’s point of view, the Pakistan Peoples Party had no issue with Kakar as caretaker PM.

Kundi denied the impression that the choice of Kakar was sudden and said that there were multiple names under consideration and many hopefuls were roaming around Islamabad with speeches prepared before the official announcement was made.

He also did not agree with the version that Jalil Abbas Jillani was finalised but changed at the last minute.

However, Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar expressed his amusement and said that the politicans had not even been asked about their choice and those who had to make the decision had made it.

Khokhar added that while Imran had been accused of being ‘selected’ and his regime labelled ‘hybrid’ the PDM-led government had been nothing but hybrid 2.0.

He added that the process of his estrangement with the PPP had begun because of the Balochistan Awami Party to which Kakar belonged. He added that he had spoken against taking BAP’s vote to get Yousaf Raza Gillani elected as opposition leader in the Senate and was eventually forced to leave the party.

Khokhar said that the parties that lectured others about democracy had lost the right to speak about it.

Pakistan Muslim league Nawaz’s Musadik Malik said that there were no reservations against Kakar as he was was known to everyone. He added that Kakar is a middle-class and educated politician and had a vision for the country’s progress.

He added that other three out of Pakistan’s eight caretaker PMS, all had been political people. He also added that the appointment of Kakar was not a unilateral decision.

Malik said that the debate about the suitability of a caretaker PM would have taken place regardless of who was chosen. He said that there was no person whose nomination would not have invited debate.

Khokhar said the issue was not just with nominating a member of the BAP, but with the political parties’ posturing of being supporters of demcoracy.

Elections

Kundi said that the PPP was in favour of holding elections within 60 days while others had favoured 90 days. However, after the CCI meeting the matter had been pushed back as far as six months.

He added that the political parties would have to face the public sooner or later and answer for their 16 months in government. He added that they should not run from elections that the parties should not have created the election delays themselves.

Kundi also called on the caretaker PM to force ECP to hold elections as soon as possible.

Khokhar said that there was no doubt that census results were approved with ill-intentions as it was clear that new delimitations would delay elections. He said that all parties were ‘hand in glove’ and could not complain about election delay anymore.

He added that despite the changes to the Election Act, the constitution still said that the date of elections had to be announced as soon as assemblies were dissolved. However, the date had not been announced despite passage of seven days.

Malik added that who should be blamed over delayed elections was a complicated question. He said that the census elections had been so conflicted that it had even smaller parties had voiced their concerns.

He said that it was not possible to deride the results of the old census while also saying that new census results would delay elections. He added that ‘vote ko izzat do’ was to be realised, elections should be credible as well.

Kundi said that the census results had no real effect as the only changes that would result was moving around a few union councils in each constituencies.

Khokhar said that the only reason for the delay in the elections was that the previous government was so unpopular that it was afraid to face the public.